Maiden, Mother, Crone

Steamed Chicken with Black Mushroom

2011-04-14T20:11:00.001+08:00

The following recipe is a consolidation of different recipes I found on the Internet for a family favorite -- Steamed Chicken with Black Mushroom. I just varied ingredients and measurements as I see fit and according to my family's taste and dietary needs. I usually make this with deboned chicken breasts without the skin for health reasons but I know that the tastiest parts to use in this recipe are chicken thighs and wings.

Ingredients:

1 kilo chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cooking rice wine
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame or canola oil
1 tablespoon sugar
9 pieces dried black mushrooms, soaked in hot water till soft (reserve 2 tbsp soaking water)
4 stalks spring onions

Procedure:

1. Marinate chicken pieces by combining the first seven ingredients for an hour.
2. When mushrooms are soft, squeeze the liquid out and wash the pieces under running water.
3. Discard the mushroom stems and slice the remaining parts.
4. Boil water in a steamer and arrange the chicken mixture in a heat-proof dish atop the steamer and cover.
5. Add the mushroom pieces after 10 minutes to the chicken and mix well. Add the reserved mushroom soaking water. Garnish chopped spring onions on top.
6. Lower the heat and steam for another 30 minutes or until chicken pieces are done and tender.

MBTI Class Profiles 3A to 3C

2008-08-02T11:26:00.000+08:00

Funny MBTI Profiles For My 3rd Year Students

2008-07-22T12:20:00.000+08:00

Got the following from Mr. Willi Baclao, 3rd year counselor. Source must have been the Net. Enjoy! Don't take yourselves too seriously! :)

MBTI Type Descriptions (Funny)

ENFJ: "Busybody"
Life's backseat drivers. They seem to know just what's wrong with everybody else's life and have a plan to fix it.

INFJ: "Messiah"
Characterized by the burning desire to change the world, which desperately needs everyone to be NF.

ENFP: "Muckraker"
Creator of hype, distortion, and the perversion of media of information to be wallows of mindless emotionalism.

INFP: "Fanatic"
Always searching for an Answer with a capital A. Unlike the INFJ, they are usually openminded enough to realize the current one isn't good enough after a few years.

ENTJ: "Tyrant"
Knows better than everyone how things should be done and works tirelessly to obtain the power to make it happen that way.

INTJ: "Crackpot"
All facts which don't fit their theories are just wrong. The more all-encompassing and less applicable to reality the theories, the better.

ENTP: "Frankenstein"
The salvation of the world is to be found in this new nanotronic frannistan, of which he just happens to have an almost-working model...

INTP: "Nerd"
What? you mean people actually talk to each other using mouths and ears instead of keyboards????

ESTJ: "Stuffed Shirt"
No imagination, no flexibility, no common sense, no capacity for tolerance of others with different priorities.

ISTJ: "Bean Counter"
Like the ESTJ but with less vision.

ESFJ: "Gossip"
Like the Busybody, but characterized by the urge to backstab instead of trying to help.

ISFJ: "Sidekick"
Doesn't need much meaning in life, just a person (or baby or pet or car) to spend all their time ministering to.

ESTP: "Beer Drinker"
Loud, crude, plays team sports, kisses and tells. These are the people beer commercials are made for.

ESFP: "Clown"
Always the class troublemaker, they have no respect for anybody or anything. Good at snide wisecracks.

ISTP: "Assasin"
Hates people, and is good at killing them. Young ISTP's are good at killing pictures of people in video games.

ISFP: "Snob"
Revels in the elaborate sensations of wine and paintings and music that are completely indistinguishable to ordinary people. Likes flowers.

MBTI Class Profiles

2008-07-22T11:43:00.000+08:00

Counting Kidney Stones (and Blessings)

2008-06-29T15:54:00.000+08:00

It's been a harrowing week since i found out from my 2nd-opinion uro-surgeon that i will be needing open kidney surgery to remove what appeared like staghorn calculi (large kidney stones that look like ginger) in both my kidneys (at least based on an ultrasound image taken last December). He even told me that, rare as it is, in some cases, surgeons remove the affected kidney altogether because of the resultant damage to it during surgery. Problem is BOTH my kidneys were affected. Hubby could only joke that at least we could sell them for transplant after, one month warranty nga lang. Hahaha.

Seriously, it was indeed a trying week, as i went through laboratory tests, x-rays and a CT stonogram to determine the exact location of the stones. I was in the hospital everyday, even catching the flu either from the toxicity of the hospital environment or because my immune system took a beating from a sudden bout of depression and anxiety. 2nd-opinion doc told me ESWL (extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy), non-invasive though it was, could not be considered because it only works with smaller separate stones. PNL (percutaneous nephrolithotripsy) was the next least invasive technique to remove kidney stones via a port created by puncturing the kidney through the skin and enlarging the access port to 1 cm. However, the facility for this procedure is not YET available in the country. So medyo wala akong choice ano kundi magpa-open kidney surgery at umasa na lang na hindi masira mga bato ko. Good LUCK na lang!

I missed my 3A class retreat, my important meetings and, i believe, because i was ABSENT from the Faculty Forum, i got elected to the School Council! OK lang sila?!

I know i am turning 39 in December this year but i have never felt THAT age so real than this past whole week. I guess 2nd-opinion doc was right in berating me for not taking my condition seriously enough despite the ultrasound findings last December, because it could really lead to renal failure.

Good thing hubby and i saw some old college friends last week who referred to us our 3rd-opinion uro-surgeon who happened to be from batch '89 of Ateneo (hubby is from batch '88, me batch '90) and who happened to belong to the same college organization we joined back then (AtSCA). What's more, he also happens to be the brother-in-law of a former colleague in the English Department. Bonus na lang na accredited sya with my husband's HMO (of whom i am one of the beneficiaries) and with mine.

Taking a look at all my test results, Doc Joel, our hulog-ng-langit 3rd-opinion uro-surgeon, concluded that what i have are NOT staghorn calculi but nephrocalcinosis or increased calcium content in the kidneys. Sure they are still a threat to my otherwise normal renal functioning but at least this condition does NOT need surgery at all and is highly treatable with medication and metabolic work-up. Grabe! I am probably the happiest 38-year-old these days! To think that each afternoon when my eldest son comes home from school, he would already cry at the thought of losing me in a very risky type of surgery; and my eldest daughter, who is only 6, once came up to me with flowers, saying she wanted me to remember her when i'm already an angel in heaven. Susmaryosep!

Now what remains is another set of medical tests to determine the source of my metabolic problem... and a trip to the nephrologist. Even as i am saddened that i will have to be referred now to a nephro by my present uro-surgeon who is such a blessing, i am also relieved to know that my condition is not hopeless. To all those who expressed their concern, did research of their own on the net about my condition, gave referrals of every kind (pati arbularyo!), volunteered every kind of help, and most importantly, prayed along with me and Pol, many, many, many thanks! You are truly our friends. (Pwede na tayo uli mag-inuman! Joke lang po.)

Sabi Ng Tickle, Violet Daw Ang Aura Ko. Hmm...

2008-05-30T11:42:00.000+08:00

What Color Is Your Aura?

We don't need a psychic to tell us that you're giving off a Violet vibe. An amethyst-colored aura is the trademark of compassionate, empathetic people with arms big enough to hug the whole planet. If you had your way, you'd be teaching the world to sing in perfect harmony (and maybe even buying them a Coke) or heading to a third-world country with the Peace Corps. Spiritual and caring, you're a true music lover and probably committed to at least two or three causes. Your heart is so tender that it bleeds when you hear about any pain and suffering. That's why you're always working toward change, whether it's improving your workplace or rallying for global peace. You've got your sights set on lofty goals and, because you're such a dreamer, you might occasionally overlook the details when you're on one of your missions. But you're sophisticated and worldly enough to know how to dig in and make a difference where it counts. Strong-willed and kindhearted, people with a Violet aura are the world's activists.

Sinigang na Salmon Belly sa Miso

2008-05-28T14:09:00.000+08:00

It is 5:37 in the afternoon and I am already home from our May In-Service. This is the second day of my scratchy throat and stuffy nose after yesterday's Class Moderators' Workshop in the chilly ITC. After lunch today with sister Tes, I surfed the net for a while before I finally gave in to the drowsiness and impending fever. I woke up all sweaty, disoriented and none the better in my office couch and decided there is only one thing that can make me feel better tonight. Not sex (at least for tonight) but sinigang na salmon belly sa miso in the tradition of my late mom's sinigang na bangus sa miso (she always thought salmon was too sosyal for our dinner table). Mura na kaya ang salmon belly ngayon sa supermarket! Blast-frozen pa from wherever they came from (ngii!) so you can be assured of its freshness. So umuwi na ang nanay na ito at nagsimula nang i-channel ang ispiritu ng ermat ko sa aking pagluluto...

Mga ingredients
(Pasensya na walang quantities kasi I learned to cook the tantiyahan way...)

1/2 kilo salmon belly, scaled, cut into 4-inch strips
about 6 pcs. calamansi
salt
ground pepper
cornstarch
canola oil (high-blood kasi si Pol)
garlic, crushed
onions, quartered
tomatoes, quartered
luya (optional)
miso
patis
hugas-bigas
Sinigang Mix (meron nang miso variety)
sari-saring gulay na panigang, bahala ka na dear (pwede sitaw, talong, labanos, kangkong although mas okay ang mustasa)
syempre, sili!

Ritwal ni Mommy
(Pwede rin ito sa bangus.)

Marinate salmon belly slices in calamansi extract, salt and pepper.
Heat canola oil in skillet. Roll salmon belly slices in cornstarch then fry till golden brown. Drain and set aside.
Transfer oil in a deep dish. Saute garlic, onions, luya, tomatoes, and miso.
Add hugas-bigas. Let the broth boil before putting in vegetables, leafy ones last.
Put in Sinigang Mix.
Add fried salmon belly slices. Let boil.
Add sili then season with patis to taste. Enjoy! (",)

Nainggit ako kay Marc... so here's my handwriting analysis, too...

2008-04-22T04:02:00.000+08:00

Socorro is a very emotional person with a broad range of emotions from the highest highs to the lowest lows. She feels emotional situations very strongly. She'll flash to the very peaks of elation, sweeping everything before her. Then, for some reason unknown to herself, she will burn out emotionally. These mood swings can be very disturbing to her. Sometimes, she feels that she can no longer produce anything. But, after given some time alone to "recharge her emotional batteries", she will spring back into action.

Because Socorro feels situations intensely, she relates easily to others' problems. If she is not careful, when she comes into contact with someone who is in a depressed frame of mind, she will also suffer the same emotions and change moods. Socorro reacts impulsively, without much thought before hand. She may plan everything in detail before she even begins, then do it completely different when the time comes to carry it through.

Socorro has a strong need for affection. She thrives on touching and being touched. Socorro desires being told that she is loved, every day. She enjoys being the center of attention. She loves attention, sometimes she even retells stories that got her attention earlier.

Socorro has the possibility of being a actor or natural born salesperson, simply because she relates so well to other people. She likes expressing how she feels, what she is doing, and what she plans to do. She is a people person.

She will work most efficiently in a people orientated job as opposed to a job working alone on an assembly line (that would drive her insane.)

People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Socorro doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.

Socorro will be candid and direct when expressing her opinion. She will tell them what she thinks if they ask for it, whether they like it or not. So, if they don't really want her opinion, don't ask for it!

In reference to Socorro's mental abilities, she has a very investigating and creating mind. She investigates projects rapidly because she is curious about many things. She gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but she soon must slow down and look at all the angles. She probably gets too many things going at once. When Socorro slows down, then she becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, she must slow down to do it. She then decides what projects she has time to finish. Thus she finishes at a slower pace than when she started the project.

She has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. Her mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. She can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Socorro can then switch into her low gear. When she is in the slower mode, she can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. She is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.

Socorro is capable of seeing far into the future. She plans two, three, even ten years in advance. Socorro has high goals and can literally see them being reached. She is very self-confident and has a high self-esteem. Socorro will reach whatever level of success she desires.

Socorro has the self-concept that is possessed by less than two percent of the population. That two percent contains the most successful people in the world. When a person has a high self-esteem, she frees herself to achieve an unlimited world of success. Socorro has achieved this frame of mind. Congratulations. She has the self-confidence to take great risk, thus reaping the rewards. If she does fail, it doesn't break her confidence. She knows she can do it! In retrospect of our research, this trait is one of the most desirable to possess, because it releases the writer to achieve her full potential. We recommend everyone raise their self-esteem to this level.

Socorro is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect her ego when she feels hurt. She pokes people harder than she gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.

Socorro is very self-sufficient. She is trying not to need anyone. She is capable of making it on her own. She probably wants and enjoys people, but she doesn't "need" them. She can be a loner.

Socorro has a healthy imagination and displays a fair amount of trust. She lets new people into her circle of friends. She uses her imagination to understand new ideas, things, and people.

For a graphologist, the spacing on the page reflects the writer's attitude toward their own world and relationship to things in his or her own space. If the inputted data was correct Socorro has left lots of white space on the left side of the paper. Socorro fills up the rest of the page in a normal fashion. If this is true, then Socorro has a healthy relationship to the past and is ready to move on. The right side of the page represents the future and Socorro is ready and willing to get started living now and planning for the future. Socorro would like to leave the past behind and move on.

My first trip to Dapitan

2008-04-13T14:31:00.005+08:00

No, this is not the city that lies on the northwestern coast of Mindanao where Jose Rizal spent his exile. This Dapitan is a street perpendicular to another unique, albeit narrower, street where the Dapitan Arcade is found. You can get to this wonderful place via Mayon Street in Quezon City (actually, near Manila already) and simply ask for directions. I have read about this place for quite some time already but never had the time to visit it. So one hot Sunday morning after mass, I badgered my husband into taking me to Dapitan and bribed him with his favorite camaron rebosado for lunch at Ma Mon Luk along Quezon Avenue.
As soon as we found the place, I was lost in the wonderful cheap finds in this place I have only been hearing and reading about. Soon enough, husband and eldest son were texting me already asking where I was because it just felt that the whole day at Dapitan wouldn't be enough to cover all stalls and appreciate all the household items and creative trinkets lining the arcade corridors. I had to restrain myself from buying all the stuff I fancied because first, I might not need them anyway, and second, I don't have the budget for it. Hehehe. But considering how cheap everything was, for 670 bucks, i was able to get a set of three bubuyog lamps which I intend to hang in my living room, a set of three wicker and seagrass hampers in natural varnish, and three wooden toys for my elder kids. My husband told me I looked as happy as a child let loose in a toy factory. For more photos of my finds, visit my site at escarez.multiply.com. Enjoy!

High School Reunion Blues

2008-02-07T20:07:00.001+08:00

In less than two months, I will be hosting our high school reunion in our house. One of my close friends will be footing the bill for the food, having done really well as a singer overseas. Another one is coming home from America to look into the possibility of her company donating computers and science kits to our old high school. It’s really going to be a very significant event in our lives, except that this reunion is an inevitability we have all been anticipating with both excitement and trepidation. As one friend said, it’s like being on twilight zone, a notion that actually gives away our true age. Yes… it’s been more than 20 years since we bid goodbye to one another but not quite to the pubescent angst that came with high school.

Anyone who has been in high school would know that personal appearance was something one set great store by in this period of raging hormones. Who’s going to take you to the prom if your face is covered with zits? Worse, who’s going to ask you to be his girlfriend if you’re the homeliest girl in class? Ironically, now that I think about it, even the prettiest in our class had those extremely insecure moments they were never entitled to. Lesser beings probably felt much, much worse. Now, 50 pounds later, everyone is scrambling to lose 10 pounds a week as they anxiously make a countdown to the reunion date all because of this weirdly familiar anguish.

Then you have the ghost of relationships past, the EX’s, MU’s that went nowhere and affairs that never were. How do you approach someone you dumped or, worse, who dumped you? What does social etiquette prescribe as proper small talk between dumper and dumpee? It feels like that time in high school all over again when you and the object of your infatuation maneuvered desperately to be with each other and yet when it happened, you hardly had anything to say.

Then the inexorable question of “So what do YOU do? How much do YOU make?” which is a surefire way of turning off some members of the class (who chose to follow their dreams and passions rather than slave their way to riches and hypertension) from attending the reunion. This will definitely feel like déjà vu except that the questions 22 years ago were like, “How did YOU do in the test? You DIDN’T ace it?!”

Oh well, I guess there’s a reason why high school reunions predictably happen at the exact moment of your adult life when you’re midlifing – so that you will feel like in high school again! :)

A few of my favorite things...

2007-12-25T00:49:00.000+08:00

Sweet Inspirations' New York cheesecake...
early morning loving...
Asti Spumante...
My baby Julia's breath of milk and honey...
Awe-inspiring homilies by Jesuits...
Cebu's CNT lechon...
Marikit-na Hapag Kainan's steamed pla-pla...
3 dangerously subtle margaritas...
empire-cut blouses...
Vaseline shampoo...
Kusina ni Kambal's lengua estofada...
long, silly, "libakan" sessions with sister Tes...
body-shaping girdles...
my own Pasta Puttanesca...
coffee with Lui and Sarah...
communist poetry...
seafood roll at Mong Kok on weekends...
chili oil...
more chili oil...
getting drunk with Pol on weeknights...
Aaron's witty jokes and funny cellphone videos...
Ateneo High School cafeteria's binagoongang baboy...
My own binagoongang baboy...
My late mommy's laing...
My late father-in-law's quirky wisdom...
My late daddy's singing voice...
My mother-in-law's friendship...
Starbucks' caramel macchiato...
banana cue...
Moca's kunsintidora advice...
sinandomeng rice, the less sticky, the better...
the last two trimesters of pregnancy...
what you usually do to cause pregnancy...
the excuse to pig out during pregnancies...
breastfeeding right after a long day at work without pumping milk...
seeing students graduate...
Meiji dark chocolate...
past students dropping by...
spicy dilis...
more margaritas...
an occasional Screwdriver at Marikit-na...
cooking for in-laws for four hours...
watching in-laws eat my cooking in 10 minutes...
my clone Pia...
My 7-year-old Leon's existential questions...
driving to and from Ateneo without traffic...
singing songs for God...
time alone for myself...
my own Bicol Express...
Pol's green jokes...
MagicSing...

in no particular order.

not necessarily a wishlist, but Happy Christmas anyway!

In Places

2007-08-27T08:47:00.000+08:00

In places of knowing

A heart filled with longing
You find me
Alone with my thoughts
Of random betrayals

In places of hurting
As you reap my being
I find you
Alone with your pain
From love and its trials

In places of memories
An attic of secrets
We find us
Alone with each other
Hurting and knowing

In our sacred places
Of being and longing
We are one
Fused in flesh and soul
Knowing, belonging...

For Dolly

2007-05-21T19:54:00.000+08:00

I've been meaning to share these two (of my late mom's) recipes with my Kumareng Sosyal Dolly for quite some time but haven't had the chance. Last week, she gave me and hubby six foil packs of her special home-made embutido and I'd be such an ungrateful friend if I didn't return the favor. However, she refuses to have me cook these dishes for her because, like me, this woman has recently discovered a passion and knack for cooking, albeit as a form of therapy (Hehehe!)...

HOMEMADE SPANISH STYLE BANGUS

Ingredients

1 kilo small to medium-sized bangus (tails cut off, cleaned, sliced but not scaled)
1 tbsp rock salt
1 tbsp whole black pepper
1 large onion sliced
2 to 3 siling haba sliced
8 to 10 pcs laurel leaves
2 medium carrots sliced
½ cup sliced pickles (with juice)
water
¾ cup corn oil

Procedure

1. Arrange bangus in a pressure cooker.
2. Add next seven ingredients.
3. Add just enough water to cover all ingredients.
4. Add corn oil.
5. Pressure cook over medium to low fire for 40 minutes to 1 hour. (If using smaller fish like tawilis, cut cooking time to 20 minutes.)

MOMMY’S LAING

Ingredients

2 to 3 bundles gabi leaves with stalks (left to dry for a day in the sun)
1 tbsp rock salt
½ cup pork fat sliced
¼ kilo medium-sized shrimps
1 large onion minced
2 tbsp ginger sliced
4 to 5 siling haba sliced
2 cups coconut milk (2nd extraction)
1 cup coconut cream (1st extraction or kakang gata)

Procedure

1. Peel gabi stalks and cut into 2-inch long pieces. Wipe leaves with dry cloth and then shred.
2. Combine gabi stalks and leaves with the next seven ingredients in a deep cooking dish.
3. Bring to a boil then simmer until stalks are softened. Stir occasionally.
4. Add in the kakang gata and continue simmering until the cream turns oily.

Horca Piloto Island

2007-05-20T20:50:00.001+08:00

Since 1994, almost every summer, hubby and I have been bringing friends over to his hometown in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro from where we take a less-than-10-minute trip by banca to a quaint virgin island called Horca Piloto. Our take-off point is usually Parang Beach Resort which has reasonably priced accomodations from 250 pesos per person in a 16-bed cottage which we fondly call Bahay ni Kuya to a 1,800 pesos a night bamboo house good for 5. These rates come with a complimentary American breakfast. However, even with its fine black sand, good food and courteous staff, Parang Beach is not the main event of each trip. The banca ride to Horca Piloto is an adventure in itself; with only a small outboard motor powering the banca with a pair of bamboo poles for katig, it's always a mystery to me how I manage to defy my fears and my utter lack of swimming knowhow each time I set out to sea. Sometimes the sea is glassy and calm, other times rising in waves. However, it's always a treat to my kids who are fairly good swimmers and think of our sometimes bumpy ride as just another rollercoaster event, unmindful of the dangers at sea; and in the few hours that we bask in the sun after soaking in the cool crystal-clear waters surrounding the island, one forgets about work and bosses and deadlines and household bills. Even as we have to wear aqua shoes as we tread water, it's always rewarding to hear my children shout that they have not only "found Nemo" but "Dory" as well, and in a whole school of fish at that. Lunch is sometimes adobo or homemade sardines or the day's catch of a fisherman passing by. Come to think of it, even as we run around like headless chickens in the urban jungle in a desperate bid to get rich, successful, famous or just plain useful, the very simple life is still the life for most of us.

Mommy's Bicol Express Recipe

2007-05-16T07:47:00.000+08:00

Some of my friends have, over the years, acquired a taste for hot and spicy food especially the ginataan variety because of my attempts at duplicating my late mother's cooking feats. When Mommy was still around, I never really quite measured up to her standards of a mean laing or the quintessential Bicol Express. She never had a recipe so everything was tantiyahan. I guess I learned more by observing. I also learned that for my mother, cooking was essentially a ritual and not a chore one had to do. There was even a prescribed way to skin gabi stalks and shred the leaves so that the laing dish would not come out makati. She had a unique way of extracting coconut milk and seeding finger chilis. After she passed on, I would try to remember all these rituals more than the ingredients in every Bicolano dish she lovingly prepared for us. Whenever I would bring the dishes I cooked to the workplace, my friends would jokingly tell me that I channeled my late mother's spirit into my cooking. I guess that's always the best compliment for me. So here is one of my Mommy's popular dishes:

Bicol Express

1/4 kilo pork liempo, sliced
1/4 kilo suahe
2 1/2 cups coconut milk or cream
1 large red onion, chopped
2 tbsp bagoong alamang
1/4 kilo siling haba, sliced length-wise, seeded and soaked in cold water (or hot water to lessen the spiciness)
patis to taste

Note: Other vegetables may be added such as string beans, eggplant or ampalaya especially if you don't like your dish very hot and spicy. In this case, just add one more cup of coconut milk or cream.

In a medium-sized wok, render lard from the liempo by boiling it in a small amount of water until the pork slices turn brown.

Add shrimp and saute in pork fat.

Add coconut milk, chopped onion, and bagoong alamang.

When the mixture boils, add sliced siling haba and simmer until sili is done, stirring occasionally. Add patis to taste.

It's really very simple and goes well with any fried fish, especially sinaing na tulingan fried till crispy. Bicol Express with fried tulingan is a favorite in our home, especially because it represents the regions my husband and I consider our roots, Batangas/Mindoro and Bicol. If you wish to use other vegetables, aside from adding more coconut milk, you simply lengthen cooking time to ensure that all the veggies are cooked. Enjoy!

Things I Regret Not Having Written About

2007-05-15T15:32:00.000+08:00

It's been almost a year since I posted an entry in my old blog (which I couldn't access anymore) and much has happened in that interval. Every time I was faced with a situation -- funny, trying, moving or mundane -- I'd say I have to write about this in my blog... which I, of course, never got to do in the chaos of my regimented life. That is why this post is about the things i regret not having written about, albeit in nuggets of insights I learned for each of the funny or trying or moving or mundane experience I went through in almost a year, and no longer as blow-by-blow accounts of the things that were:

October 2006 ~ Acalculous cholecystitis with steatosis is what happens to you when beer is a staple in your career and social life. I spent a harrowing week in a hospital caring for my husband who was hospitalized for inflammation of the gallbladder due to increased bile as well as fatty liver due to increased socializing and frequent alcohol-infused business deals. For him, it was like a week-long vacation in a hotel room-like hospital suite after the initial round of painkillers. He told me, "Just look at the bright side -- we finally got the vacation you've been nagging me about for months!" But then again, I wasn't envisioning a weeklong vacation watching him turn into foie gras. Now that he's well, he still drinks, overgrown male adolescent that he is, but mostly with me and no longer with a minimum requirement of beer bottles.

December 2006 ~ One of the best things about having children in the Philippines is that there is never a dearth in nannies and pay is always cheap. However, we have had a loyal and trusted nanny for almost seven years now and we are only too happy to recompense her accordingly. Her sister is likewise now a nanny to one of our four children. The problem with "sister nannies" is that they always take vacations together! Yet, we cannot bear the thought of their family celebrating the Christmas holidays without one of the daughters. So, for two insufferably long weeks, my husband and I looked after our four rambunctious children and did practically nothing else. The way it went, it hardly felt like Christmas -- it was more like Holy Week. Tempers flared, blood pressures shot up, shouting matches became the norm that towards the middle of the week, we felt almost sure about getting an annulment. Of course, that did not materialize. It's just amazing what kids can do to their parents. They can drive you to the brink of insanity and self-destruction and make it look like an accident... but the biggest thing that happened brought tears to our eyes -- once, while herding our two boys and two girls to the attic to keep them from running all over the place as we watched them one afternoon, our youngest child, Julia, walked for the first time. She was a little over a year old when she marked that milestone... and in a flash, all the stress, all the resentment, all the mess became trivial, and hubby and I wanted to be wed all over again.

April 2007 ~ A day before my eldest son turned 10, we made a trip to the surgeon for his initiation into so-called manhood -- if there was such a thing, because as far as my personal experiences go, boys only have three life stages: infancy, childhood and adolescence, after which they return to infancy at around 60. Hubby had a hearing and so was not able to witness his eldest son's "rite of passage". So there we were, him lying on a narrow bed and me at his head. The surgeon who did his appendectomy four years ago came in with probably the prettiest nurse in his staff. (Why does every circumcision always involve a pretty nurse?!) In less than 40 minutes, the almost bloodless and painless procedure was over and I wondered whether I missed the rite of passage. In the car, on the way back home, I eyed my son suspiciously, waiting for a tell-tale sign or even a glimpse of newfound knowledge and confidence over his induction into the big boys' club. There was nothing. In fact, the first thing he did after announcing to the whole household that he had just been circumcised was to play with his beloved action figures. I heaved a sigh of relief and smiled to myself as I watched my little boy play.