MR. MINESTRONE

Haligilet loves minestrone! And so, to make up for the time I've spent away from him, I made an attempt to replicate his favorite minestrone experience here at home.

My recipe is more "Pinoy" because most of the ingredients I used where just the veggies I had in our ref crisper, and aren't found in the Italian recipe. Kumbaga, umeffort mag-experiment ba! Hahaha.

So here's my version of minestrone. Feel free to this healthy kiddie palate-friendly dish!

Ingredients

3 tbsps. butter
1 medium onion chopped
150 grams boiled chicken breast deboned and flaked
2 chicken cubes
100 grams cubed squash (to replace zucchinis)
100 grams cubed carrots (to replace the kidney beans)
1 pouch tomato sauce
1 cup cooked pasta, ideally macaroni
(but I used the leftover cooked spaghetti from Haligilet's birthday)
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 small pechay, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1) Melt butter over low heat.
2) Saute onion and add flaked chicken breast.
3) Add chicken cubes, saute for two minutes.
4) Add squash and carrots and saute for a minute.
5) Add tomato sauce plus 2-3 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
6) Add cooked pasta and celery. Simmer.
7) Add pechay leaves (and celery tips) and simmer for an additional minute.
8) Add salt and pepper to taste.
9) Serve hot with crackers.
Makes 7-8 servings.

I attempted to take a picture of the finished product but couldn't get a decent one because Haligilet was getting impatient. And who was I to be a roadblock to his favorite dish? :)

Happy cooking (and eating)!

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT STEP

The weather today freaked me out. One moment it was bright and sunny, and then it was gloomy and rainy the next. Once again, we are reminded of the inconvenient truth--the very serious and worsening state of global warming.

Here in our household, we've tried taking small and hopefully significant steps to reduce our carbon footprint. We've gone easy on the airconditioning. We've been reusing and recycling. And we're strong advocates of water conservation. And I do hope we can do so much more.

Worthy of consideration are the products being showcased at EcoQuest, a site which offers multiple product lines to address health and sanitation concerns both indoors and outdoors. I particularly fancy the air purifiers offered in the site given my current health predicament.

Hopefully, EcoQuest would make its presence felt here in Pinas. It would certainly make a difference in lots of lives, including ours.

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

THE LITTLE BIG MAN

How fast time flies! My SF-based and eldest nephew, J, is turning 14 soon!

I remember taking care of little J, as if he were my own more than a decade ago--taking him for a ride around the village, bringing him to the mall or to the movies, or just simply playing games with him on Playstation. I remember how crazy he, all of 5 years, and his dad were, over taekwondo and football games (which by the way, I still have not figured out up to this day). And today, little BIG J, plays at the junior varsity team in his SF school.

J's dad, who is a cousin, tells me that so much is his son's fascination with football that he would often catch the "little big guy," surfing for hours on the latest NFL merchandise and memorabilia over at www.fanshopinc.com, an interesting site containing merchandise collections of anything and everything NFL-related. My cousin tells me that he was also even able to avert my nephew's participation in an NFL memorabilia auction. Since then, he has implemented PC parental control. Hehehe, close call!

Happy, happy birthday little BIG J. I miss you and I hope to see you soon!

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

TGIM!

Others would usually greet Mondays with a heavy heart as it signals that the weekend is over.

Not us.

We especially looked forward to THIS Monday because today marks Haligilet's school party! I will leave you with some pics of the party for now because our family is off to the Manila Oceanarium as an extended treat to the birthday boy.
Happy viewing and once again, thank you for all your greetings.

This Monday is fab. Hope yours is too.

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

LOVE YOU FOUR-EVER

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

- Robert Munsch

Four years of smiles, laughs and cries,
48 months of bumps, bruises and sighs.
We vow to give you our endless supply of hugs and love,
Having you in our lives is the world's greatest job.

Happy, happy 4th birthday my dearest firstborn.

I will love you forever.

EKS-OH-EKS-OH,
MAMA

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

My party planning for Haligilet's 4th birthday was accomplished in a record-breaking 2 hours! This is a far cry from the previous years wherein I planned his parties months in advance.

I have no excuses. I just have been a bad maver. Huhuhu.

But nonetheless, I do believe that I was able to redeem myself. Check out the loot that I got from my quick trip to the mall yesterday (oo, sa mall pa din ako namimili, hahaha!)...Not bad eh? And, after a quick phone call to my suki, Bing of Party Station this morning, I was able to seal the deal for this...
I also saw some interesting Cars items in the mall like coloring books, stickers, puzzles, water bottles, even baseball bats, which would make nice game prizes. I hope I can make time for another trip within the week.

I'm so excited. And I just can't hide it. Yada yada yada!!!

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

PEACE BE WITH YOU

September 21 is the International Day of Peace.

Tomorrow will be a day of ceasefire--both personal or political. I hope we take a minute to reflect and pray for a united and conflict-free world.

And I say this without being self-righteous. Mwehehe!

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

CLOCK IS TICKING

Seven days to go till the Haligilet turns F-O-U-R, and 9 days till his class party. And what have I done? Nothing!!!

Well I've always stressed that ours would be a simple party but I guess that doesn't give me an excuse to be sooo lazy. Bad maver, bad!

I do know that they're 10 in a class. And since I'll be alone this weekend, I would probably have the time to look around for loot items. (Probably pa daw o--may alinlangan pa! Hahaha!)

Here's my checklist. Please let me know if I missed out on anything.

Print invitations
Order cake and cupcakes
Order food
Buy loot items and prizes
Talk to Haligilet's teacher regarding program

Meron pa bang kulang? Waaah, this is sooo not me!!!

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

HOME ALONE

Haligi and Haligilet are away for the weekend. So it's my turn to stay home...alone! Huhuhu!

There are times when I question my career change. Sure I get loads of travel opportunities and get to earn more than my previous job. But will these measure up against the lost time with friends and family? Is it worth it?

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

WILL I EVER...?

Last night, at the heels of my chat session with good friend J, who just gave birth to her firstborn, I dug up my electronic breastpump which I had offered to lend to her. And what do you know, I was reunited with some of the other stuff that I used while our Haligilet was still a baby--infant wear, bonnets, mittens and little booties, and even a collection of the ever dependable baby carriers gifted to me by friends and family.

The baby carriers were indeed heaven-sent. Aside from keeping the little angel close to our chest and ultimately, our hearts, baby wearing made our lives easier especially during family travels. The God-sent "devices" allowed us to carry our little one, hands-free. This really came in handy for multi-tasking, something very commonplace for parents, especially those of newborns.

How I wish I would have a chance to use these baby carriers again. Siggghhh.

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

OOPS, SHE'S AT IT AGAIN

I just got off the phone with my bestest best friend in the world, oz-based RAO.

RAO has been reading my blog and got alarmed over recent developments in my health. She seemed particularly sunny this time, a far cry from our last conversation. And why? well because she's been doing that "thing" she got crazy about years ago--hanging out at an interracial chat room, the likes of Interracial Chat City.

Back in 1999, it was in an interracial chat room that RAO met her German ex-fiance. I remember RAO spending day in and day out, staring at a green screen (yes monochrome monitors were so fab back then, hahaha!), chatting away with her fiance. Aside from the "ex," RAO made a lot of great non-Filipino friends too, some of whom, she even met in the flesh, in the course of her career in the foreign stock market. Fact is, she also occasionally crosses paths with the "ex" because he too, works in the same industry. Comedy of errors, indeed!

Sadly, RAO's relationship bloomed, blossomed, and abruptly ended in a span of a year. But while she had painful memories with the ex, she still gives credit to the fact that the chatrooms have kept her company during the dreary days away from home.

RAO plans to visit me before the year ends to check up on my health. I assured that I'd be fine and that this is just a hiccup in my system. But for her peace of mind, she can just send me dollars to make me happy. Hahaha!

Love you, RAO!

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

MOMMIES IN THE HOUSE

Congratulations fellow wifespeakers, jenstar, elapot, abbyG, for being new moms to their new bundles of joy.

Welcome to the wonderful world of parenthood and I assure you, despite the sleepless nights, the smelly diapers, the eardrum-shattering cries, everything is truly worth the wait. Hugs to you!

So blogging friends, put your hands together and if you can, do send flowers (even just the cyber kind) to our new moms in the house.

Woot! Woot!

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

88

Here I am by my lonesome, attending to last minute arrangements for the Asian Carriers Conference when I am reminded, yet again of the many, many things that I have to attend to back home.

Aside from my son's 4th birthday, which by the way, is just a little over two weeks away, I realized that we are also in the homestretch for our Lola Anda's 88th birthday preparations. We are thinking of throwing her a surprise party this October. Imagine, turning 88 on 2008!

The biggest task on hand is shopping around for perfect birthday gifts. After all, what do you give someone who has everything, and a relatively full life? We've been outdoing ourselves every year, producing one nifty gift idea after another. But this year, we are facing a blank wall. Oh what to do?!?!

And then I realized, after seeing a beautiful arrangment of flowers here at Shangri-la Mactan, why not give her the perfect bunch of birthday flowers? After all, all women swoon over flowers, right? Worth a try, donchathink?

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

MOTHERHOOD, CONFIRMED

Today, on the special day of the Mother of mothers, we received the most meaningful gift. The little angel now has a heartbeat! :)

Congrats to my dear sis for being a mom, twice around.

Gotcha, guys! :D

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

PANIC ATTACK

I was so immersed in office assignments that it just dawned on me that I've got a few weeks to go till Haligilet's 4th birthday! While his will be relatively downsized compared to his previous "shindigs," it doesn't take away the fact that I've been terribly amiss in party planning. To those who've known me long enough, you'd know this is simply not my style. Imagine, no invitations, no cake options, no menu, nothing by Haligilet's party month. Maver, istatue?!?!

I guess first item on the agenda is to come up with the party invite concept, which is one my favorite party tasks. You see, I've been dabbling in digital design for almost 10 years now--beginning with a bit of photo retouching, then shifting to simple manipulation of color and layouts, and progressed to invitation designs and other intricate and dynamic requirements. I've met a lot of great friends and clients because of my hobby, all whose veins are pumped up with the same part-planning blood as mine. I kinda miss it, actually and would jump at a chance to get back into it again.

Digital design is one tedious process, but rewarding nonetheless. It is indeed a test of patience, resolve and skill, of course. It can be stressful on the pocket and printer ink too, especially if printing orders pour in by leaps and bounds. I remember, it could be quite stressfulif I run out of ink in the middle of a printing job. And a lot of times, I wished we had something like Pacificink.com, an online ink manufacturing resource offering door-to-door delivery service at very reasonable prices. Interesting printing solution. Possible business proposition too.

Must.evaluate.soon.

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

THE RIGHT STUFF

My shift in career from banking to telecoms was one excrutiating, nonetheless, exciting journey. I now have to contend with extended working hours, eratic schedules, occasional field work, and an everchanging landscape of products and trends--a far cry from my twelve-year stint with a bank.

While I miss the predictability of a desk job and the opportunity to spend more time with the Haligi and the Haligilet, I know that I finally found a job, which, I am proud to say, is my "calling." Ahuh, it took me twelve years to figure it out!

Admittedly though, it is still a work in progress. The tall order is that I have to keep abreast with the latest trends in gadgets and communication. Luckily, there are sites like Stuff.TV, which contains the latest technology reviews and gadget reviews. It has certainly my journey of learning a lot easier.

I hope all of you have found your true calling too.

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

CURTAIN CALL (REPRISE)

If you recall, a few months ago, I wrote about waking up with the sun kissing my face one bright Saturday morning, all because Haligilet chose to play with our curtains. The result? A broken curtain rod and curtains all over the floor.

Curtains can be very tricky because repair cannot be neglected. It can be pretty frustrating to shop around for nice curtains and curtain rods too. I particularly fancy those showcased in smithandnoble.com, an interesting resource of high quality window coverings to suit your every need. The designs are simple yet very tasteful, something that I'd like to see as window trimmings for our humble abode.

It would certainly make me happy if I get to buy anything even half as nice as any of those window coverings! They would indeed be the perfect accent to our otherwise urban-contemporary interior design. Now if anyone had leads to the likes of these, it will be much appreciated. And who knows, I just might find some at Vigan's Crisologo Street.

Wish me luck!

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

THE YAYA M STORY

I never did tell you about the Yaya M story, did I?

Yaya M has been one efficient helper in our family. With her expertise (naks, expertise!) in newborn care, she just hopped from one relative to another, taking care of all the newborn babies in our family, the last being Haligilet. There was no question in her skill, efficiency and integrity. And while she usually limited her tenure to a maximum of two years per employer, we were fortunate enough to breach this because, she claimed, she wanted to grow old with us. However, things took a different turn when we hired an all-around helper given my very toxic schedule at work. She transformed from one superyaya to one supertamad one.

In a nutshell, it was a disaster just waiting to happen. After all, ours gripes against her (and maybe hers, against us) had accumulated over the years. It all began with petty stuff--extended days off and spells of laziness (especially when Haligilet became a toddler). Then things progressed to deeper offenses--questionable work ethic; intrigue-sowing; mega-over-to-the-max trips to the lotto outlet/MiniStop/Mercury/Watsons/Yadayadayada; and the last straw, talking back when being disciplined.

Yaya M's stint with us ended sadly and regretfully. Sayang. She has long since sent her apologies via text--"Ati M, galet pa p0h ba kay0 sa ken. Sori p0h sa lahat. Mahal k0 p0h kay0. Sana p0h wag nyo p0h sana ak0h sasab0notan pag nakita ny0 aq"--PAANO NAMAN HINDI MAWAWALA GALIT MO DYAN DIBUZZ? LAFF TRIP! But who knows, with the coming of another baby a little over nine months, our paths just might cross again.

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

JUST LIKE YESTERDAY

The trip to the OB was a breeze. She was her usual motherly, jovial self. And again, she was working even with an injury, just as she did about four years ago, when the little angel in our family was born. Ang sipag talaga ni Doktora!

The family is indeed in good hands.

EKS-OH-EKS-OH

BREAKING MY SILENCE

A few months after Haligilet and his cousin, A, were born (they were born three months apart), my maver (their grandmaver) made me and my sister promise never to get pregnant again. Why? Because both our pregnancies were problematic--mine, resulting with premature labor; and my sister's ending with an emergency CS because of her decreased level of amniotic fluid.

The doting grandmaver lost sleep over our conditions. Thus, that covenant sealed with us.

Too bad, the promise has been broken. Well, I'm sure she'll get over it. :)

EKS-OH-EKS-OH