Curiousity got the mom 😝

I was busy cleaning when I suddenly thought of checking on my youngest son. As soon as I walked in the room he clicked on something on the computer. Hmmmm... I prohibited them from playing internet games a few weeks ago so when he tried his best to keep me off the pc I became suspicious and reminded him that he was not allowed to play games. I told him that I will be checking on the history to find out what games he played. He suddenly cried and embraced me and teied his best to drive me out of the room. Grabe ang lakas nya! As he bawled his heart out I tried my best to stop from laughing as i wanted him to know that I was dead serious. Of course I won on the brawn department. As i opened the history of the sites he visited, the one that caught my eye has the phrase "how to kiss"! Imagine myself in between feelings of consternation and the funnies. I wanted to laugh out loud but I reminded myself that I am a parent. I almost peed hahaha what the heck does he want to know about kissing and why is beyond me... Hay sons....growing sons ...

Forget me not

This time we should not just sweep everything under the carpet! We should not forget! We should fight for the rights that these unscrupulous public officials has trampled on and belittled! I should hope that we are no longer that kind of Filipino! We should fight for every Juan who has gone abroad just to have the kind of life that these dirty politicians and their family get to enjoy in their own country! This fight is for every Filipina who is raped and killed abroad! This is for every Filipino children who roam the streets, who lose themselves in a plasticeverycross rivers, climb hills, spend 2 hours on foot just to be in school! For every Juan who roams the street and have no roof over their heads. While Janet Napoles and several of these dirty politicians and their family have several homes to choose from! Damn you! Damn you all! While you and your family are able to eat what you want. The victims of your "lootings" have to scrounge the garbage for second hand food! Damn you for even thinking that our taxes are monies you own! Damn you for getting to live the kind of life our poor Filipinos can only dream of or imagine for themselves! You should be jailed in the same manner that thieves and other bad elements are. You've become so thick skinned that you feel that without the pork barrel, your countrymen's needs. can no longer be addressed! No wonder we see families in politics! Politics is no longer a venue to help but a business venture that dirty political families thrive on! Mahiya naman kayo! You were voted for a reason well unless you bought your votes too which is inevitable for dirty public officials such as yourselves!

I hope tomorrow's clamor not only move people but move each and every Filipinos here and abroad to join hands! We cannot allow ourselves to think that nothing can be done. There is, as we have always managed to do so. But this time kababayans let us not forget! We always have to be on our toes! We have to protect our children's future and that of our beloved country.

Food for the soul

Our family's diet has passed through different stages... I used to have a hard time thinking of what to prepare for my husband, being a picky eater. I'd always have to think hard and long what to cook. Making a weekly menu helps but it means having to buy more grocery stuff. Not wanting to add more to the list, I am always forced to serve the same dish to my children rather than cook two viands just because only my kids and I eat beef.

Thankfully all that has changed. My husband and I have been weaning ourselves off rice. These days I've been spending shorter times in the kitchen. Our diet consists mainly of vegetables, protein, and fruits. Our kids are exempted from this discipline as far as rice is concerned. But we do have them eat more vegetables. Am discovering more fun ways to serve our veggies. To make them look and taste interesting. I want to be off rice permanently and I feel that my husband is trying his best to keep his resolve.

I love whipping up old recipes with new ideas. Let me share with you some of my recipes. Tonight i made my own version of Yakisoba. For this recipe you'd need the following:

2 cups of beansprouts
2 cups of thinly sliced napa cabbage
1/4 cup thinly sliced meat or shrimps
1 cup japanese tofu cut into cubes
Soy sauce
Mirin
Sesame seeds
1 tbsp minces garlic
1 onion sliced
1 tsp minced ginger
Sesame oil
Salt (optional) and pepper to taste

1. Blanch napa cabbage and beanprouts. Set aside when done.
2. Fry thinly sliced pork in very little oil. Set aside.
3. Saute onion, ginger, and garlic in a little oil. Toss in the pork and fresh noodles pour a little sesame oil. Cook in medium fire for no longer than 5 minutes.
4. Pour in about 2 tbsp mirin or 1 tbsp brown sugar and soy sauce. Pour 1/4 c of water. Put a dash of ground pepper and salt. (Put salt only if necessary, normally soy sauce is enough) Remove from heat. Toss in the rest of the veggies and mix until fully coated with soy. Top with sesame seeds and serve hot.

Enjoy! ;)

The Great adventure

all smiles :)

At her age, our Mama is having the time of her life and there's no denying that! We're all so proud of how she bravely traveled alone and how happy this journey made her. Apart from surviving six heart attacks, this merits another feather to her cap! So hurray to you Mama dear! We are just so glad that  an opportunity presented itself and so timely too! An orchestrated plan strengthened by your parents' wisdom,  designed by the  Divine hands of the Almighty!

Such brings me to the conclusion, that this may be part of my grandparents' predestined plan for their children. They knew back then, there will come a time when they'd have lives of their own. And because of this, they included in their plan that they reunite somehow...someday.  It is my belief that my grandmother (my mama's mom) tried to tell me that in a dream I had of hers the night before my mama was due to leave. It seems that Inay is happy about this trip too! Am sure if she and lolo were still alive they will never miss a chance like this! We are just so filled with excitement for you Mama! We know how much you'd enjoy Papa's company but you know his unrelenting love affair with the water tank hahaha! Enjoy that much deserved adventure Mama and when you come back we would be all ears to the long and short of it!

I'm sure you'd agree with part of the lyrics of this song, which goes "I have been blessed, and I feel like I've found my way. I thank God for all I've been given. At the end of every day, I have been blessed with so much more than I deserve. To be here with the ones that love me. To love them so much it hurts...I have been blessed..."

Tres Padres

It's that time of year again when fathers are hailed and recognised. And rightfully so, because without them, whatever our circumstance may be, there would not be us.

To my Papa: I love you and will always do! You were the first man in our life, our first kiss, our first love. We have always placed you above all else. You were the reason why weekends were always important. Our engineer who always had something to tinker with. As a child we'd marvel at the stuff your mind and hands created. During the time when bags with wheels were introduced, you were the only father I knew who did not rush to the mall to buy one. With your creative mind my old schoolbag was magically transformed into one with wheels! That is only part of the story of the kind of father you are Papa. Even in your silence, memories were born. So thank you Papa! Your love knows no bounds... We love you ;)

To my husband: My heart of hearts! Soul of my soul! My only love... I will forever be thankful to the Lord, who answered my prayers. You are exactly the kind of father
I've always dreamed for my kids. You are a man beyond your years. You believe in the power of prayers. That with fatherhood comes great responsibility. You embraced that role. You fearlessly espoused fatherhood without a moment of hesitation. And you continue to prove how much you are committed to taking care of our family. A father in the real sense of the word! I love you and will continue loving you till my last breath.

To Bernard: My favorite brother in law the only one I have :D Even before, you have always showed your involvement in our family. An act evident of your love for my sister. The kind of man I have always prayed for her. Without you to complete the puzzle, there wouldn't be Wis, Quin, and Teapot. Thank you for always being there for each of us. Thank you for loving my sister the way you do.

To the important men in our family, I wish you all the best this Father's day and always!

Cancer Pinoy style

Our country is sick! And the cure is not hard to find. What is tough though is the fact that the masses prefer to remain sick. But notice that they will be the same ones who will complain non-stop about their predicament. The same ones who we will be doing their planking act on the streets of Manila. The same ones who will shout indictments against the government they voted for! This is not the same Filipinos that our heroes died fighting for! Most times I'm inclined to think that I was born in the wrong country. Or inclined to think that we should have remained colonized by the Japanese!

I have always wish good for my country and my countrymen. But if my kababayans only cared for themselves or just do not care at all. What can the little voices do but remain in the dark?

From nothing to Vice Governor, from being assistants to their parents to Senator?! From actors and actresses to political leaders? From being a boxer and the boxer's wife to political partners? the stupid familial list just goes on and on! Who are we kidding???!!!!

These so called politicians will be the same ones you will see gracing the senate floor with their ridiculously expensive gowns and suit and humongous jewelries. Those are the people You voted for! And because of your wise vote, thank you! The Philippines will be a great nation for them to squander our hard earned money for their family and for their vices.

I hope one day the Filipinos open their eyes! We need people who will do anything to save our country from the rotting persona of the wicked politicians, from political dynasties who sees being in the government a good investment for their family! For the actors and actresses who,(both young and aging), will strut their stuff in the political arena because their managers can no longer find good projects for them. Good luck to us! I don't think stem-cells therapy can even cure this kind of cancer!

Votes for the future

Today I exercised my right as a Filipino! I voted for the people I feel would bring our country to at least normalcy. Funny, how after several times of voting, I felt like a cry baby as I entered my voting precinct. I cried a litte as I looked around at the rest of the the voters across the room. I thought to myself, I hope that they vote for the ones who will make the Filipinos believe in the system again. I hope they do not vote for those actors and actresses who cannot really contribute to the greater glory of the Philippines. I hope they do not vote for political dynasties. For politicians who do not honor delicadeza, or those who only have vested interests. I have friends in politics, and I know I will be hurting them with what I have to say. But I hope they understand my thoughts being a Filipino who wants our country to be a country of hope, a nation served by our govenment not the other way around. A country where the Filipinos are served not enslaved. A safe place to live in, where criminals and terrorists will fear to tread.

My dear Filipinos please, for the sake of our children...let us not put our own interests first. Think of the future of our country and to whose pair of hands you wish to entrust our children and our children's children.

The choice you made is marked on your Index finger either way it's the same one that will point back to you. Let yours be the right one!

My thoughts on Mother's Day

There is no real peace in conflict....

Today's sermon is about Love and Peace so fitting in my quest for answers. What I found interesting is the way the priest explained how easy it is for people to love but how difficult it is for them to continue to do so...how much more easy it is for people to forget.

My Mama despite her old age is still alert as probably the day she was born... This is perhaps of the fact that at an early age, her growing up stage fast forwarded right before her eyes. Being the eldest of a brood of 8, she had to forego the usual teenage route. Why? Because at an early age she lost a father... And had to partake of her own mother's troubles. With 7 younger siblings in tow, that was a lot to take for a 15 year old whose worries should have only been limited to what to wear to the prom, what course to take up in College, and whatnot. But because she had to grow up, she missed all those stuff and instead ensured that her siblings are well taken cared of...that all their properties are intact...that whatever assets her father (my maternal grandfather) left behind is safe for the sake of the future generation. Not limited to physical assets but those that has been taught by my maternal grandparents. A legacy of hope, of love, that the family remain bonded despite the storm.

The past and her desire to save a generation of heritage is the source of her wisdom and the source of her strength.

My mama has been a mother for so long that she couldn't help but be one to all. This is a privilege that only a few can handle and truly understand. One cannot be a nurturing mother if she has not nurtured younger siblings or truly put others before herself! And this is a fact that people tend to forget.

And so this Mother's Day which is celebrated every 2nd Sunday of May let me honor my own Mama. I did not make life any easier for her but I love her beyond the confusion, through the tears, for every spat we had. But for me and my siblings, there could only be one Mama... And no one else can fit into her shoes.

Advance Happy mother's day Mama!

Fervent Prayers and our life in KSA

I have always been a firm believer of the power of prayer. But I was not expecting mine to be answered too soon! Not that I am complaining :). Indeed God works in mysterious ways. His plans never fail and they always come as a wonderful surprise.

You know my kids and I would pray the Holy Rosary and part of our prayer is for my husband to be able to land a good job that would give him so much better opportunities in terms of career growth, better benefits, a package that will ensure that our family will be well provided for. And a job that will bring us to a country where we are able to attend mass. Never did I expect that He would bring us back to the Philippines, I was thinking more of Canada or Singapore. But the Lord can also be a good comedian I laughed when I realized later on that I was not specific about the country of my choice hahaha!

But still my husband and I are humbled by the continuous blessings He sends our way. First, the Lord's plan. A decision. And then acceptance.

It's really funny that I should be missing Saudi Arabia, when the first time my husband told me that he'd bring us there, I was adamant. For me it meant giving up my Señorita days. I had to give up our loyal nanny for a life where I would be her predecessor. Lol!

But life in KSA turned out well, oh forget those times we had to wait long for payday. Overall, our life was simply lived, our kids became more tolerant of each other's shortcomings, we were far from problems though not our own, we carried as if we were part of it. Best of all we learned how to deal with the locals, the Indians, Syrians, Egyptians, Jordanians, Nepalese, Bangladesh, Sri Lankans, South Africans, and the other OFWs.

Despite what the word "abroad" connotes let me tell you that our life abroad was not all a bed of roses. But we all learned. My eldest, though reluctantly at first, learned to wash the dishes. While her two other siblings developed skills of their own... Cooking rice, keeping the room clean, folding fresh dry clothes, extra pair of hands in the kitchen ;) My husband and I, on the other hand, learned to be self-sufficient. We both learned how to bake bread! Our own pandesal. And I became a hands-on mom to my children. I realized that my role at home is not bad at all. Saudi definitely changed us and it was a good change.

For now this is all I've got to share...more

later...so keep posted ;)

My all around abaya

You were my security blanket for almost 3 years. The only fashionable piece of clothing that I owned. The same one I used when hanging our laundry, greeting visitors, buying groceries, malling, eating out, attending pta's, and other activities that required me to step out of our abode. You symbolized a tradition as old as time. Helped embrace a culture I was not really prepared for. It did not matter whether the temperature outside was almost 50 degrees C. The weather is not an excuse to even open the top button. But I wore you for a long time... For me, you were my second skin, my protection from the weather, the mutawa, and the roving eyes of the male populace.

It's ironic how I used to hate wearing you and now that I won't, I feel a bit of sadness.

But then I have to store you. You will be a part of my KSA memories. I can't really say if and when I will wear you again or if there would ever be another chance or another time. Let me say for now that (to the tune of Loving you) "wearing you was such an easy thing to do..." ;)

Life in Saudi...in retrospect...

We've stayed in this country and embraced its culture for almost 3 years (4 for my husband). Our life though very much secluded, was lived simply. For me and my husband, it was enough that we were all together. Enough that he was earning modestly to be able to send money to our loved ones. That I was able to discover inner yearnings and be able to put them into good use.

Last February 27, (2013) though unaware of our fate back home, we went through the whole nine yards of packing our stuff. In our minds we would be back. As we all stepped into the service that would take us to the King Fahad airport, I stared long and hard at all the sights. It was as if I knew that it would be the last time I'd ever set eyes on everything KSA.

Indeed it was the last time and my heart cried through it. And then acceptance.

Though it was a hard decision to make. I believe that the Lord's plan will always be the best for our family. And so after thinking things over, we decided to embrace this new adventure... This time in our own land.

Once again folks...it's Hello back Philippines! ❤

Farewell 2012

Tonight I've been doing Barry Manilow's "It's just another New Year's Eve" via humming, whistling, and then really singing it at the top of my lungs :D.  Yep, indeed "it's just another night, that's all it is" as Barry Manilow's voice "wafted" invisibly in and out of my head. It was not even the eve of my own New Year as I recalled my unforgettable 1st of January 2012. But that's all water under the bridge and now I can start anew. Besides Christmas, I love the beginning of each year. As each new year brings Hope and gives everyone a chance to be a better person, to do better, to begin a new story on a clean slate. I breathe in the air of Saudi Arabia and look back at the year that was starting from that one seemingly "tele novela" episode on day 1 of 2012.

I still cry a river over it when am by my lonesome but one thing I realised is that the love that my husband and I share has grown stronger after that day. We laughed more, we laughed longer. We laughed and shared stories in the dining room. Sometimes I catch myself telling my kids to keep quiet but remind myself at the same time that the dining room is the perfect venue for our family to share anecdotes, stories of our own childhood, and glow at the sound of our children's laughter. Nope, am not saying that my family is perfect but I rejoice in the knowledge that my husband and I are able to share with them our time, our whole life and our own stories. 

Last year was a year to reckon with, for a while I stopped praying. I stopped cleaning the house, I stopped blogging, I stopped planning. Like a clock that was on borrowed battery time, I just stopped. And that resulted to such an empty feeling that almost engulfed me to oblivion. I'm just so glad that I was able to lift myself up from the deep end so to speak. All the while my husband has become the source of my strength. Hence, this made me come up with an idea! Tonight we were supposed to do an activity as I prepared our own "Reflection book" where my children and I would write our thoughts about each other. What we dislike about each other's attitude and perhaps some suggestion on how this can be improved. Then on another part of the book we would each write down our own "promise to improve on". It shouldn't be too grand or too idealistic but something that we can all agree on and cheer each other on achieving. But the kids were all tired so there's always tomorrow :)

This year we all come in clean...with hopeful hearts, my family and I look forward to a better year, a more fruitful one. A year, when we can be more of help to others than the ones who need help. A year when I can finally start fulfilling a lifelong dream. A year when I can validate my passion and end it with a professional title. A year when I can stop looking back at the past and begin looking forward to a better future. So with this in mind, I say "kampai" with my "mental" alcohol and seal my faith with my promise to be a better person for my God above all else, a better wife, a better mother, daughter, sister, friend, and neighbor.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a great start! And I hope all your fingers are still intact after all those firecrackers!