Stefan's first walk, Feb 2006

Thinking Out Loud

That is, my stomach.  It's thinking...

.. Haagen daz cookies & vanilla bar
.. Haagen daz coffee ice cream
.. Mrs. Fields white chocolate macadamia
.. DQ's ice cream cake
.. strawberry fruit shake

 

.. Mauna Loa chocolate macadamia nuts
.. roasted peanuts with lots of garlic
.. Boy Bawang cornicks
.. Swiss Delice's Prestige du Chocolatier
.. Guy Lian Belgian Chocolate
.. Lay's curry potato chips

.. Cinnabon cinnamon buns
.. Wang's Kitchen's fried ice cream
.. Pork BBQ buns
.. Egg tart
.. Redenbacher jalapeno popcorn

 

.. Starbucks green tea frappuccino
.. Johnny Rockets' cookies&cream milkshake
.. Bubble Republic's chicken poppers and taro pearl milk tea
.. Phillip's premium crab cake
.. Johnny Rocket's chicken club house
.. corn on the cob w/butter & salt
.. ice-cold diet Coke

.. pizzapizza's chicken bruschetta parm
.. Burger King's chicken fries w/ yummy buffalo sauce
.. fresh salmon sashimi, an all-you-can eat is great
.. ika sushi w/ a dot of wasabi in between
.. shrimp and vegetable tempura esp broccoli
.. soft-shelled crabs
.. crabstick in wasabi mayo sandwich

.. grilled lambchops
.. Hakka cuisine
.. Indian butter chicken & palak paneer with mango lassi
.. Pho beef noodle soup
.. Malaysian seafood laksa
.. anything Thai - curry, Pad Thai, basil chicken, Tom Yum & Tom Ka

 

.. fried turnips or lo bok go (say the cantonese term for quicker order)
.. anything broccoli that i can never have enough of
.. fresh lumpia w/lots of ho-thi
.. hot bowl of soup on a cold winter supper
.. ube, langka & keso sorbetero ice cream
.. the taho vendor's taho w/syrup & sago
.. green & yellow mangoes, fruit or shake

.. Spiral's all you can eat fresh oysters... and dessert.
.. all-time favorite Alex 3 chicken bbq
.. Seaside's seafood galore that I should go back to
.. Grills & Sizzles cheap but good steak
.. Yellow Cab salsa chicken pizza
.. Iceberg's mango con hielo

.. Mini Shabu Shabu hotpot, love your own!
.. but I love Gloriamaris' too
.. sisig, laing, bicol express... anything similar
.. KFC chicken, esp the refillable gravy
.. Jollibee chicken joy
.. bacolod chicken

.. crispy chicken skin
.. Lapids chicharon
.. Chivalry pusit
.. Jack n Jill potato chips
.. sansrival & sylvanas
.. Sugarhouse ensaymada
.. chilly dalandan shake 

.. home cook meals that include but not limited to alimango con gata; grilled shrimps; steamed suahe; chayote; mom's own version of Chicken Joy & KFC chicken; bulgogi tenderloin; boneless chicken BBQ; roasted porkloin; bouillabaisse; maki mi; sotanghon; chamisua; sharksfin soup; lychee gulaman; and any dish you request that never disappoints

I never thought listing these would be just as fun as having them.  I doubt that my stomach can contain all these, though.  Well,... but at least in thought... and out loud.

February 05, 2007

The Station

by Robert J. Hastings

Tucked away in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long, long trip that almost spans the continent. We're traveling by passenger train, and out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hills, of biting winter and blazing summer and cavorting spring and docile fall.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station. There sill be bands playing, and flags waving. And once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true. So many wishes will be fulfilled and so many pieces of our lives finally will be neatly fitted together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering ... waiting, waiting, waiting, for the station.

However, sooner or later we must realize there is no one station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

"When we reach the station, that will be it !" we cry. Translated it means, "When I'm 18, that will be it ! When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz, that will be it ! When I put the last kid through college, that will be it ! When I have paid off the mortgage, that will be it ! When I win a promotion, that will be it ! When I reach the age of retirement, that will be it ! I shall live happily ever after !"

Unfortunately, once we get it, then it disappears. The station somehow hides itself at the end of an endless track.

"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. Rather, it is regret over yesterday or fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who would rob us of today.

So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot oftener, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.

April 19, 2006

The Long and Short of It

After months of anticipation, my Mom and sister Nat arrived New Jersey.  A day later and still jetlagged, they embarked on yet another long bus trip from NJ to Toronto.  I could just imagine how exhausting it was on their part, to travel half way around the world just to visit us – me and Achi.  After an almost 24-hour flight from Manila to NJ and the 12-hour bus ride from NJ to Toronto, simultaneous with my sleepless nights and excitement, we finally met!

How long - or should I aptly say how short - is their stay?  8 days, to be exact.  And that was after weeks of debating about and dividing their time between NJ and Toronto.  How quickly did those 8 days go!  Days went pass another so fast you’d wish you could save time in a bottle.

 

Mom and Nat have gone back to NJ to spend another week with Achi.  After which Nat makes a side trip to Taiwan to see Ahia & Dich, while Mom heads straight to Manila. 

It’s so oft said, time flies so fast.  It does indeed and so felt by our family.  Ahia once said, our life is like paintings and pictures passing through our eyes.  The anticipation of seeing each other is always longer than the actual time we spend together.  Someone also wrote, there is much beauty in sharing during the time you spend together what each of you did during the time that you spent apart.  The only thing is, the time spent apart is far too long.

We’re flying to Manila in June.  It will be our first time in 3 years.  The anticipation for this visit goes far back as when the plan was just conceived.  Between now and then is 10 long weeks (yes, I’m counting).  Again, that is way too longer than our actual stay in Manila.

Will there ever be a time when there will be shorter wait to longer bliss?

April 12, 2006

The Four Men in My Life

My Pipi.  The person I have the ultimate respect for.  Simply because he's my father.  And for all that he is.  He is known for his sense of humour that can bring the house down.  He has the wit and charm that make him adored by many.  And the kindness that makes him loved by everyone.  I recall, he would often buy me street taho in the morning and ask the maid to bring it to me in bed.  And he would always pull each of my toes while we're watching TV together.  He isn't great with english, but he plays very good Scrabble.  And every game would surely have a laughing moment.  Even now when we chat by YM - yes, he chats - he'd make me laugh with his remarks.  Our chat would always start with a "Hi Istafan!" (Stefan is my son's name, heehee), and a "Mom still sleeping".  For those who know him, you'll know what I mean when I say he's so cute, isn't he? I love him and I miss him soooo much.  For the mean time I have only the countless fond memories of him to reminisce.



My Ahia.  The most influential person in my life.  A genius himself, he has taught me so much when I was yet so little.  We'll have our own SRA classes.  Made me memorize the 13 countries of South America and their capitals.  Taught me Spanish when Dora was not yet conceived, (ask me now the only sentence I can say is Los libros estan en el pupitre).  And he'd reward us with Ladybird Classics storybooks and Barbie dolls.  He has an unbelievable vast knowledge in history and current events.  He loves and knows movies like no other.  He was the instrument to my taking Industrial Engineering in university, and would have been the instrument (again) if I had taken up Dentistry instead.  I left the Philippines also because of his influence.  Perhaps indirectly.  To this day, he is still the "lifeline" in all my decision-makings, and in any trivial matters.  He is just that person I will always revere and look up to in all categories of life. 


My husband. 
My kabarkada-turned-boyfriend-turned-husband.  Who'd ever thought we're gonna come together?  One tiny favor started it all.  My lifelong companion.  Couldn't ask for better.  I am always grateful for every single  detail in my past that has put me where I am today, because I'm with him.  And there are no "what if's".  And while this phrase sounds formulaic, he truly makes me a better person each day.  We've been through a lot together.  And in any place where you'd seem to feel alone, we have each other.



My son.  Stefan.  A relationship that started not long ago.  He has changed my life in so many ways.  Allow me to say, that meant he has made it harder.  But he continues to amaze me day by day.  Someone that may not get at par with the other three men in my life, but would similarly make a huge impression.  I myself would make a strong one on him - for sure - while attending to him 24/7.









I am truly blessed to have these four men in my life.  And I am writing my first blog entry in honor of them.

January 17, 2006