Stories from Home

Passion, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is intense, driving or overmastering feeling or conviction. Alternatively, it means a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object or concept. I admire people who are passionate on what they do.

Take this old pianist as an example. Before the start of the 4-day weekend, we walked past this old man at the mall while looking for a place to eat. We took note of him because a number of people were smiling watching and hearing him play and he was stringing a song from Moulin Rouge. He played the piece with so much gusto and passion that it emanates through every note that he struck.

And because we were so moved, we chose to eat outside of the restaurant so we can hear him play.

He was well-cheered by the mall-goers. Had you been lining up for J.Co donuts last Wednesday, it wouldn’t be so bad for you.

To prove a point that he’s a good entertainer, here he is giving his number to a woman (who I suppose wants to hire him for an event) and being appreciated by two old men.

As for me, I am the ultimate stalker.

Like most of you, I spent the long weekend in my parents’ home and I had a reflective Good Friday. I woke up at 5 to attend the early morning station of the cross.

I had  a meaningful reflection after a 2-hour walk around the barangay and hearing the priest’s sharing after each station. It’s a wonderful experience early in the morning. I sent a message to Person A suggesting that we should do this together some time… in the province. Maybe on our first Holy Week as Mr. & Mrs. *kilig* I am so babaw.

At about 3, I went back to church to attend the Pasyon (that’s in Bisaya, because I am Bisaya). This is done after the siete palabras and the service is pretty much like a mass with the Christ’s journey to death shared in the Gospel. The second part of the Pasyon was kissing of the cross. People line up to kiss the cross and my hypochondriac self automatically switched to

“What virus will I get from doing so?” I resolved it by saying “God will take care of me and shoo away all the viruses of the people who kissed Him before I do.” After each person, the sacristans wipe the cross with what smells like alcohol… though my mind is saying the cotton might not get sanitized enough. I overanalyze like that. The last part is receiving the Holy Communion. Pasyon ended with the procession of Christ's "dead body".

It was an interesting Good Friday and I encourage every Catholic to properly observe it.

Now on to food! What’s a report without a chronicle on what I ate. I found these red bananas on my mom’s dining table.

It looks normal and tastes good if you don’t mind the mineral-y after taste.

Then my aunt and my cousins and nephews from Cebu are also home so we’re spending part of our time with them – with the rest of the family. Here's dinner last night.

Grilled fish (aka as sinugbang isda sa bato). 

The meat is tasty, tender and absolutely perfect. Everyone was whining that the face of the fish looks scary and ugly. I really don’t care…  I wanted them to whine while I consume all of it.

Some shell-fish which I din’t partake of because I was too busy with the fish and my peyborit kinilaw!

Raw bangus cooked in vinegar, tabon-tabon, a mix of herbs and spices and all the dirt from my Papa’s hand because he prepared this himself! Hahaha!

There were still a lot of food on the table and it’s absolutely all fresh and good. One of the best things about Dipolog.

This morning, I had my favorite sikwate (chocolate drink from Tablea).

Chocolate = shokolit =  sikolate = sikwate. Get the evolution? Another all-time peyborit!

And fried dried pusit! Our househelp still needs to perfect her frying skills because this one is so chewy and … chewy.

Ayayay! The things I can rarely get in Manila.

Oh, I also did some baking this morning. Tadaaa…. Presenting my brownie fudge with the sweetest-smelling frosting!

Shhh… Don’t tell anyone that I cheated by using the ingredients and instruction from this box.

Lastly, I am thinking about the progress of our wedding monogram when I noticed this marking at home

And the lower photo is what's on our gate… you see, my Papa’s initial starts with an “O” and my mama’s is a “G”…

And there you have it, my folks beat me to the monogram thing!

On another note, I’ve been catching up on my reading. 

I am happy to say that is a well-written piece. I wanted something controversial, yet intellectual.

Hahaha! Choosy pa!

So, I’m really hoping that everyone gets to reflect, rest and enjoy the Holy Week.

xoxo,

-(“,)-*wink*

For a Peso

I will gladly drop a peso



and hire these folks as my wedding musicians and I will most likely drop another coin to entertainment my guests at dinner. You know, let their classical instruments play pop music ala The Piano Guys.

Well if I can't hire Maroon 5 or Coldplay to entertain my guests at the party then I'll just settle for this.

Because, that's how I roll, baby!

Dream big.

Haha! -(",)-*wink*

Musings Over Bulalo

While driving my girl friends to Tagaytay and back via the Tagaytay parking lot (aka Aguinaldo highway), our discussion veered towards bulalo. Not the Leslie's nor Rose and Grace bulalo but the Bisayang nilagang baka. Fresh cow meat, slow-cooked for at least 2 hours (not pressure-cooked), flavored by rock salt and sweetened with cabbage and bananas. 

This is what my childhood and Sundays were made of back in the day. Ahhhh... heaven. This what you discuss when you're turtle-ing and snailing your way back to Manila. 

So, for a week, I craved for my home-cooked nilagang baka. At its worst, my mouth watered. I am that gross. Anyhoo, last Saturday, I ordered a bowl from Kanin Club and while savoring the almost-there taste I am looking for, I opened up the topic to Person A, 

"Do you think I will be a housewife?" 

It was an interesting conversation, we both dreamt (he and I like that I become a housewife) but we are realists (our bills, commitments and responsibilities) are piling up and it's nowhere going down in the next decade so we came to a conclusion that yes it may happen but I might have to become a Martha Stewart or a Daphne Osena. Tipong pangalang pa lang, kumikita na. Lifestyle brand.

Dream big.

So anyway, in my quest to become the next Martha Stewart, allow me to share the decors I made for a Baby Shower that I organized.

I apologize for the blurry photo, my camera decided to conk out on me that day. Also, it is on purpose that I blurred out the face of the lovely pregnant lady - privacy reasons. 

Here's the bunting.

And the registration game that occupied the participants while waiting for the event to start. 

Back of an illustration board and pink chalk. Throw in a bunting pinned with a clothes pin and add a bowl of pink and white marshmallow. Dainty DIY.

This is my pinterest board for this baby shower.

Source: thelilcupcake.net via Sol Karen on Pinterest

You know, what's the best part, everything is so easy to prepare. A quick search on google for free baby shower printables and invites, I requested a certain group to cut it out and set things up, another group ordered the food, I did a google search of possible games and voila, baby shower with 5-minutes conceptualization, 1-hour to set-up (I am not really sure) and an hour of friends getting together.

Easy peasy.

Here's another project in my studio (aka my home). This is the wall by my mini welcoming area. 

Photo montage and asymmetrical posters from SM. I thought hard what should be on the wall (clearly, pagkain na naman nasa utak ko), the color scheme and the photos. 

Person A helped me execute everything. Read: wala na naman akong ginawa at nang-utos na naman ako!

Baby steps... to become the next Martha Stewart. Or maybe I should stick to what I do best: bully people.

Here's a cupcake that I want to bake and design in the future.

Soooo cuuuutteeee.... and it tastes yummy.

And so... until my next Martha Stewart attempt. 

xoxo