THIRDY AT TWO MONTHS (well almost!)

Our little bunny is not so little anymore - he’s almost two months old and getting quite big and fat. Well, it’s understandable since he’s still the only baby bunny here and therefore the most pampered. We played with him inside the house again today and we had fun letting him run around the sala. I guess we’ll miss him when he finally leaves because we intend to give him away soon. We cannot keep on taking care of every bunny that comes out of Whitey so we’re gonna have to wean ourselves away from him eventually. Meanwhile, we’ll enjoy the little time we have left with him (and take pictures, of course, to preserve our memory of him)












P.S. We eventually gave away Thirdy to Daniel, Annie’s BF and I just hope he would take care of him well!

KITCHEN MISADVENTURE SERIES 30: HERBED PORKCHOPS

For the kids’ baon today, I decided to cook the regular fried porkchops but I just added some herbs to infuse their baon with flavor. Of course, I pre-boiled the pork chops the night before. Then, I added some of the available herbs in my pantry – dried basil, rosemary, an assortment of Italian herbs, and of course salt and pepper. Then, in the morning I deep-fried the chops in oil and voila! Herbed pork chops for my kids’ baon!

SOFITEL FOR THE WEEKEND

Funny how time flies, barely a few weeks ago we picked up my brother from the airport for a vacation from UAE then this weekend we’d be spending our despedida get-together for him with a Sofitel overnight stay. There were still so many places we want to visit, so many food we planned to eat but all of that would now have to wait until the next time that he comes back. Maybe in July again of next year or better yet in May in time for the Mandaue fiesta. Maybe then the long-planned cousins’ reunion would finally push through!

In fact, I thought for a while that Puloy still had another weekend here in the country so I had planned for us to spend another weekend at Auntie Jing’s house (also her bienvenida for TJ naman) but I was wrong pala and so they decided to hold the get-together on a Friday (without me and my family, because I can’t bring the kids since they’re in so far away Bulacan!) But still, I helped arrange the event and coordinated with Marn and Puloy to be there, I also sent Myk to guide them to Aunt Jing’s house in Pasig (and also to act as my rep)












The next day, we went straight to Papa’s condo in Makati because they spent overnight at Auntie Jing’s. We ate lunch there and left at 2:30 for Sofitel and just waited for the others there. Jun and I just watched TV in the room while the kids swam at the pool with Kuya Kit watching over them. Puloy (with his kids), Marn and Auntie Jing’s kids arrived at around 5 and so after they ate some meryenda, we all went down to the pool to watch the kids swim and for some picture-taking. It’s just too bad that it was raining so I didn’t feel like swimming. In fact, as far as I can remember I do not recall ever finding the guts to swim at Sofitel’s pool no matter how often we’ve been here (it’s our third actually for this year!) Maybe it’s because of the sexy bodies that I see all around me??? Maybe when I have the body for it, I would!

After some time (and when the kids have had their fill of the pool), we went up to our room to eat dinner. Auntie Jing’s kids decided not to be picked up by the driver and stayed overnight since they had fun playing hide and seek in our room and watched TV all night long. The kids all slept in the sala outside Papa’s room all laid out on the floor on two mattresses (like a refugee camp).














After eating breakfast, the kids went swimming in the pool once again. While I stayed in the room with Sam playing Angry Birds in Marn’s laptop while she slept on. At around ten, the kids went up to take a bath in the bath tub so I took my bath in Papa’s room. Everyone else took their baths and ate breakfast of corned beef (from the hotel kitchen) and got ready to check out.














We finally left at past 12 and reached the ‘dampa-style’ restaurant atop Baclaran market. It was a seafood-galore festival and we had such a great time eating and taking pics while waiting. All of my brother’s favorites (and even mine!) was laid out on the table. So I am quite sure everything he tasted would last him another year more of waiting till it is time for him to come home and savor once again his favorite Filipino food Goodbye bro! Take care always and see you again next year!

ANGRY BIRDS

Today, I downloaded a new game – Angry Birds which I was first able to play using a cousin’s IPAD last Holy week break in April. It was a cool game and at first I didn’t know I could play it also in Android or even in PCs so when I finally knew, I immediately downloaded a PC version in my computer and started playing the game!

The internet revealed that the game had been in existence since December 2009 for Apple users. The object of the game is to retrieve eggs that were stolen by some green evil pigs. The birds that a player can use are many and varied and are of different combination in each level. The first is the simple red bird, then as one progresses, other birds are introduced with varying powers and capabilities. Like a blue bird that separates into three smaller birds, a black bird that explodes upon impact, a white bird that can drop explosive eggs, and a yellow bird that can be speeded up with a click of the mouse. A player can complete a level if all the pigs are destroyed by the time the last bird is used. All birds that go unused are converted into bonus points and may increase the stars earned for each level.

But my starting to play this game does not mean that I am abandoning my quest to reach Level 50 of Plants vs. Zombies altogether, no, of course not! I am just adding variety to my life coz it does sometimes get too boring just seeing zombies all the time.

BUYING A LYRE FOR KAYE

About two weeks ago, she broached the subject about joining the drum and lyre band in their school, and I go what??? What the hell is a lyre??? I don’t even know what it looks like? And so I figured that would be the end of our conversation. But the week after, she mentioned it again and asked whether she can be allowed to attend the group’s first meeting to be held at around 3pm on July 12. OK so it seems she’s really adamant about this but I had a problem because she goes home with the school bus service and if her schedule would be disrupted I don’t think she can be accommodated by the service anymore since there would be others riding the 5pm batch. Hence, she needs to be fetched by Nanay Ditse. Well, Ditse relented to her request so that’s one problem solved. So I allowed her to attend one meeting to let her find out more details about the group and decide for herself if she really wants to join..

Guess what? When she came home that afternoon, she couldn’t contain her excitement and definitely, definitely wanted to join the band. So I laid down some ground rules. First and foremost is that it should not interfere with her studies. I don’t want her standing in class affected by her practice with the band. Second, she needs to practice outside the house, in the garage preferably or maybe in the room upstairs. Because ours is just a small house, so we would be all affected by the ruckus she makes when she does practice. She asked me to buy her a lyre and their school costume and she told me it costs 1200 and 1000 respectively if both are to be bought from the school – what the!#$@^&*! That much for something she may not sustain an interest for so long!!! So I compromised and promised her that we would buy her a lyre somewhere else.

So on July 15, a Friday, we passed by SM Fairview to look for a lyre – junior sized to fit her small frame. We found one for 790 which was medium sized so we reserved a small-sized one that would probably be delivered next week costing 690. And so I thought that problem was already solved. But come Monday, the lyre was still not delivered and so we went home empty-handed. Of course, she made a fuss about it and got worried that she may be the only one without a lyre during today’s practice. And so hubby and I went to Cubao and also Sta. Mesa where we found her a junior-sized lyre for only PhP500.00. At last! I just hope she would really learn something from this gig, that it would not be just a passing fancy she would soon tire of when her interest wanes.

TAAL FOR JULY KITAKITS

For this month, Papa and Tita E decided to hold our monthly regular kita-kits at Mother Lily’s resort at Taal, Batangas – The Royal Imperial Resorts, to celebrate Puloy and Marn’s arrival from abroad. It’s our second time actually to visit their resort; the first one was during the Holy week break last April. But then, even if it wasn’t really a spectacular place - the pools weren’t all that clean and do not have slides that the kids could enjoy playing with – going there was a welcome respite. Besides, Puloy, Marn and Dian were first-timers here so we would be taking them around.

We got there at 1pm na, since they arrived late from buying food at FTI. We had to cook rice pa so while waiting the kids decided to take a dip in the pool. Good thing we bought bonete bread at Alitagtag so we had something to tide us over while waiting for the rice to cook. After eating lunch of chicken afritada, embutido, and some veggie lumpia we retreated to our rooms while the kids went back to the pool again. Jun and I slept until 6 pm when we awoke to join Puloy, Marn, Dian and the kids who have finished swimming and wanted to go to Taal Basilica for some picture taking. But it was almost dusk when we arrived so we were only able to take pics of the outside of the church because it was already closed. Before heading back to the resort, we passed by 7-11 to buy some ice and snacks for the kids.




Upon our return to the villa, it was already time for dinner. We ate a hearty meal of BBQ chicken, liempo, and spaghetti then I returned to room to do Kaye’s test in English for a while. But she felt sleepy at 10 pm pa lang, so I let her rest and went outside to chat with the others till past 1 am. I know, it’s way beyond my usual bedtime of 10 or 11PM but what the heck, I am only with these people once every month, (and with my brother once every year lang!) so I might as well spend the time catching up on what’s happening in each other’s lives.

The next day, I awoke late at 8am and ate breakfast of Taal longganisa, tapa and hotdogs. After eating, we all took a dip in the pool and played with Papa, Tita E and the kids. After all, it was getting hot na din and it will be our last chance to swim before going home. I went out of the pool to take my bath before lunch time so I could eat my lunch dressed and in peace. We ate kare-kare, crispy pata and sinaing na tulingan…yummy! And I wanted to take an afternoon nap but I had to pack our things to leave which I finished by 3pm. However, we spent some time taking group pictures in front of the villas so that it was 4pm by the time we finally left. We had lots of take home ulam because the others who were planning to follow (like Auntie Chuchay’s family) weren’t able to make it. Just too bad there wasn’t any lechon or much seafoods but still we were satisfied with the food we all shared. But I guess more than just the food, we’re glad to spend some quality time together…all of us, like one big happy family.

P.S. Just too bad coz we had many pics here courtesy of my photographer brother but I can’t download them from FB so I can’t post them here .

MAAP APPLICATION

Today, we took the first step towards the realizations of Keith’s dreams and his future. These past few days, I helped him complete his application form and requirements for his entrance examination to the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP). And today, I am finally going to Intramuros, Manila to find the Seaman’s AMOSUP Center so that I could submit his application there and pay the corresponding processing fee of PhP300.00. I got lucky coz someone in the office would be going to Intramuros to get a certification/official receipt for liquidation. Otherwise, I would have commuted to get to this place and I would not have been able to find it since its hidden somewhere within the interiors of the walled city, near the San Agustin church.

Why MAAP? It’s the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific and for me it’s the better alternative to PMA since their school campus is just near, in Bataan unlike in PMA where we have to go to Baguio every time we wish to visit him. And what’s more, in both schools, their students are scholars, meaning we do not have to spend a cent on his education if he passes either of the two schools. The advantage at MAAP is that during his third year and he goes into apprenticeship he would be earning dollars if a Dutch or any other foreign ship invites him to join their organization.

So, I have been tutoring him in English but I want also to tutor him in Math because he wants to take the Marine engineering course and not just the Marine transport course. I know he needs lots of knowledge in Math to be able to pass the test. The sad part is that I seem to have already forgotten the concepts, only the basic ones on fractions and decimals remain, and these are not enough! Oh dear, I sure hope we have enough time to study. I specifically chose the test on October 8 because I wanted him to gain more time to review. I just hope that when that day comes, he will be ready. Dear Lord, please make him ready!

LEVEL 47 IN SURVIVAL ENDLESS!

Yesterday, I was able to reach a milestone of sorts because I finally was able to reach 47 flags in Plants vs. Zombies Survival Endless ---hurrah! hurrah! At long last, after so many days of browsing the net for strategies that others before me have used, I finally chose one which I liked and it seemed to be working although I still wonder how they were able to reach 100 or even 500 flags when I can’t even reach 50??? But still and all, I am just so glad that I finally reached 47 flags, that’s already an achievement of sorts considering that I am only able to play Plants sometimes during lunch breaks and at times to break the monotony after long spells of transcribing. I do a level or two just to rest my ears before returning to transcribing once again. Well, here’s a photo grab of my Plants vs Zombies status just to prove that I did reach 47 flags in Survival Endless.







The main weapon of choice that I use is the Gloom-shroom (the violet one, which must be combined with the Fume-shroom) to counter the endless attacks of zombies both in land and in water. I put two or even three layers of it on top of lilies so that even those wily dolphin-rider zombies are defenseless with three of them that they can’t just jump over. At the back, I also place a layer of Gloom-shrooms to counter the Digger Zombies and two more Gloom-shrooms at the third layer for those mischievous imps. For the gargantuars, I use the the cob cannons which are derived from a combination of two kernel pults. They are usually placed in water since on land they are totally defenseless since pumpkins can’t be placed around them for protection. By the way, I place pumpkins over all of my plants even the double sunflowers - everything! Well, except for the spikerocks which is my main weapon against Zombonis and the Zombie bobsled team. Here’s a picture of my basic defense, I have forgotten what level this is but this is basically what my lawn looks like after ten flags. The cattails are used to counter Balloon Zombies while the Umbrella leaf strategically placed at the second layer is used to counter Bungee zombies and to cover against basketballs thrown by Catapult Zombies.







One word of advice though, it is important to stock up on sunflowers during the first few levels so that one can achieve/attain a huge amount of sun that would be necessary during the latter levels. Next time I’ll try to show more detailed pictures of my lawn per level so you would understand what I mean. Meanwhile, wish me luck that I may surpass 50 flags in the coming days…

KITCHEN MISADVENTURE SERIES 29: SAUCY HONEY BBQ CHICKEN

This next recipe was derived again from Dennis’ Lutong Bahay blog, check out his blog if you want to get the exact ingredients and procedures. All I could remember was that I marinated the chicken overnight in a mixture of salt, pepper, calamansi and BBQ marinade mix. Then the next day, I boiled the chicken in a non-stick pan in the marinade mixture to which some water has been added. Then, when the liquid has been reduced, I put in the honey; let the chicken fry a bit more in its own oil (turning regularly so as not to burn it) before taking them out and draining in a wire basket.

P.S. The kids said the chicken was a bit salty, but I figured I placed way too little honey so the flavors must not have balanced out, so next time I would add more honey and maybe lessen the salt.

KITCHEN MISADVENTURE SERIES 28: CREAMY AND CHEESY PORK

For my kids baon today, I decided to cook another viand with white sauce and lots of cheese! (what more would my kids ask for?!?) It’s a bit like the previous entry (Pork with mushrooms in white sauce), the only difference is the pre-boiling of the meat and the inclusion of potatoes and carrots instead of mushrooms. But this recipe still came from Dennis’ Lutong Bahay blog, here it goes:

500 grams pork meat
1 small can evaporated milk
1/4 bar cheese
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 large potato sliced
1 large carrots sliced
1 large onion chopped
5 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper
1 tsp. cornstarch

The night before, I pre-boiled the pork (so that would mean lessening the cooking time I would spend the next day) so that come morning I just sautéed the meat in onion and garlic. I added seasonings and dried basil then the water I reserved from boiling the meat last night. Add the potatoes and carrots then let boil for about five minutes. You may add the milk at this point, a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce and finally the cheese before turning off the fire.

THIRDY AT ONE MONTH

We were supposed to go to vet today but we lacked the time, so we postponed Bunny’s treatment for the meantime. This was just too bad since it’s so seldom that we get to stay home here at our house in Bulacan. And what’s worse during the times that we do stay we don’t have the budget for it naman, so it’s really an opportunity wasted talaga! So, instead, I just cleaned their cages and decided to play with Thirdy for a while. After all, he already turned one month today and is now quite playful and makulit. Unlike the last time when we borrowed him and he still found it difficult to move and was just sleeping. Here are some of his cute and cuddly pics.

MY BROTHER’S HOME

After a year of slaving away like a dog in UAE (that’s what he says!), my brother is back home for a three-week vacation this year. Last year he was here for a month, but he says he found it difficult going back to work at once upon returning to UAE after his vacation so now he gave himself one week to readjust his body clock before going back to work. Hence, the cut in his time here in the country but that’s OK as he just needs to just make sulit every moment he spends here. His flight home was scheduled at 12 midnight and so we picked him up at the airport (with Myk and Kaye) and brought him home to Mama at Project 4.

Why was Kaye with us at so late an hour??? Well, of course she’s excited to see her new PSP. You see, I asked my brother to buy her a PSP because he says it’s cheaper there by half. Imagine what we could buy here for around 10 or 12K he could get for just 5 or 6K so I told him to buy us one before he arrives and that is why Kaye couldn’t wait since he said he bought her a white PSP 3006 version and he even had about 20 or so games installed. It was priced at 500 dirhams, so that makes it around PhP 6500, but he made us pay for only PhP 5000 only. So, thank you dear bro! You made my little girl so happy! For me and Mama he brought Nine West wallets (big brown for Ma and a small black one for me), for Marn and Anna - Victoria Secret’s Body Mist perfume, for Jun, Myk and Keith some shirts/polo shirts and of course – chocolates galore! We all went home quite satisfied with our pasalubongs and so happy that my brother is home.

ANOTHER BIRDIE DEAD!!!

Just two weeks after Blue died, this time another yellow birdie was found dead inside the cage by the kids when they arrived this afternoon. Now I really wonder what is happening to them??? I have not been able to fathom yet what caused Blue to die and now another one has died. But you know what the bigger problem is??? I do not know yet how to tell my mother…she’d be heartbroken for sure.

PLAYING WITH THE NEW BUNNY

It has been two weeks since the new bunny was born and since Kaye said he or she is the third white bunny we had, why not call him or her Thirdy? And I countered why not? Since she came from a brood of three kits and was the only one to survive, so maybe he/she is the third in the litter, then Thirdy is just an apt name for him! This afternoon, we decided to borrow him awhile to play inside the house and here are some pics of his cute and cuddly form. We expect that he would be chubby since being the only bunny nursing, he won’t have much competition!

KITCHEN MISADVENTURE SERIES 27: CRISPY LIEMPO WITH ROSEMARY

Today, I decided to cook crispy liempo for their baon. I marinated the half kilo of liempo the night before in a mixture of calamansi, dried rosemary, salt and pepper. So that when the time comes for me to fry it, all the flavors would have seeped in to the meat. But I dredged the meat first in a little flour so that the oil would not scatter too much on the kitchen walls and even on me. Here are the ingredients I used for the recipe: (This recipe, BTW, was again lifted from Dennis’ Lutong Bahay blog)

1/2 kilo pork liempo
2 tbsp. dried rosemary
5 pcs. calamansi
salt and pepper
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
cooking oil for frying

SOFITEL FOR FATHER’S DAY

Today, we held a simple Father’s Day celebration at Sofitel - simple really despite the grandeur of the hotel because we did not really dine at their premier restaurant buffet at Spiral. But instead, we dined inside the hotel room eating takeout from Amber’s – palabok, crispy chicken, barbequed pork, chopsuey and lumpiang shanghai. Sure, we were a tad disappointed because we were expecting another Spiral treat (hehehe) but I guess what’s important is that we were able to spend the day together, even if we just watched TV inside the room while the kids swam in the hotel pool.

Anyway, we all had a sumptuous dinner at Dencio’s at Harbor square, just outside Sofitel. The food and company was just fine with me. I guess what made me a bit disappointed was the fact that we weren’t able to spend another’s father day with the father of my children. I am not really sure why but he doesn’t seem to want to join us whenever we go to my father to celebrate father’s day. I would have wished that he was here with us even if we don’t spend much to go somewhere nice at least we are all together? Maybe next year I could get him to change his mind…

KITCHEN MISADVENTURE SERIES 26: Pork with mushroom in white sauce

Hurrah, hurrah! Still the first week of classes and I am already on my second entry. I just hope I can keep this up for long huh?!? Okay, for my second salvo I chose another of my kids’ favorite – you see when cooking spaghetti some kids would prefer red meaty sauces but not my kids, they want their pasta covered in gooey and cheesy white sauce be it mixed with tuna or chicken. But, of course, I can’t cook carbonara for them all the time so I found the next best thing – cook their baon with white sauces since it would taste almost the same and be a more filling lunch at the same time.

So armed with another recipe from Dennis’ Lutong Bahay blog, I cooked pork strips with mushrooms (because my daughter loves mushrooms!) in white sauce. Here are the ingredients:

1/2 kilo pork strips
1 can button mushroom pieces
1 small can evaporated milk
4 cloves minced garlic
1 large red onion chopped
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tbsp. cornstarch
salt and pepper

Saute garlic and onion in a little oil. Brown the meat and season with salt and pepper. Add some water and let boil until the meat becomes tender. When water has been reduced, add the mushrooms, basil and the milk. Add the cornstarch to thicken the sauce. By the way, the original recipe from Dennis called for some green chili peppers but since this meal is for kids, I decided to omit it. Also, as much as possible, I don’t like to place too much liquid in my kids baon so I refrain from giving them soups or other viands like tinola or nilaga because it would be too cumbersome to bring two separate containers – one for the rice and another for the viand. Mostly, I serve them fried food or ones with a little bit of sauce like this fab yet very simple dish. Thank you Dennis!

KITCHEN MISADVENTURE SERIES 25: Milky Fried Chicken

Okay, I admit I have not been able to post anything much on my Kitchen misadventures series these past few months because I have just been cooking regular meals in the kitchen – nothing experimental and spectacular that is even worth sharing because it’s the summer school break. But with the opening of classes, I guess I have no choice but to do more cooking, especially for the kids’ baon. So for the first week of classes, I have decided to use a very basic fried chicken recipe from Dennis (from Lutong Bahay blog).

It's actually just the regular style of cooking fried chicken the only difference I noted was the addition of milk in marinating the chicken and mind you, it's a very good addition indeed because it enhanced the taste of the chicken but first the ingredients:

1/2 kilo chicken legs
1 c evaporated milk
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste
2 cups all purpose flour or cassava flour

The night before, I marinated the chicken in the above ingredients (except the flour). Then in the morning, I heated enough oil for deep frying, dipped each chicken piece in flour and dropped each one in the smoking hot oil. I drained the chicken pieces in a wire basket before popping them inside the kids baon containers - quite simple enough? But the milk truly did wonders with this simple fried chicken recipe. Thanks Dennis!

AFPOVAI for June birthday Kitakits

For the month of June, the clan decided to hold the regular/monthly kitakits for June birthday celebrants at one of our Uncle’s houses at AFPOVAI located at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. I guess it was because Uncle Boy and his wife Mama Carol were here in Manila and as such it would be an opportune time to spend an afternoon with them since they have been based in Cebu after Uncle Boy’s retirement from the military service.

We arrived at AFPOVAI early at 12 and as usual we were the first ones to arrive even if we live so far in the boondocks. But that’s OK coz then we’d have the license to be the first ones to leave din later. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the general, still looking bright and sprightly despite his age. He led us to the sala and offered us drinks, but we told him we were just fine and went on our way through his house just like the regular visitors that we were. The kids and the hubby proceeded upstairs to watch TV in their 40-inch LCD at the entertainment corner. While I went off in search of Mama Carol and Auntie Bebs for some catching up on the happenings in Cebu.





The others arrived in a while and good thing too because we may end up eating all of the lechon ourselves if they don’t arrive soon. The lechon was delivered direct from Cebu so even if the skin was not so crisp anymore - it was truly delish! Aside from lechon, Auntie Chuchay prepared mixed seafood kinilaw, veggie lumpia and chicken teriyaki. Tita E bought hipon and alimasag while Ace cooked his special menudo. There was also Norwegian salmon sashimi which we ate first while waiting for the others to arrive.

























Expectedly, we all had fun and stuffed ourselves full of food throughout the entire afternoon. What’s good about having our get-togethers at AFPOVAI is that they had a treadmill and a stationary bike so one can shed off some pounds while waiting for the next meal (hehehe). But frankly, we did nothing but eat the entire day – since there were also an entire bilao of kakanin for meryenda/snacks and of course there was a delicious chocolate cake for the June birthday celebrants. Then, at around 5 pm, Ace started cooking the leftover lechon into paksiw while Auntie Chuchay cooked sinigang fish in miso for our dinner.

















They even wanted us to stay for the night but we declined because we had a new born baby rabbit that we had to look after and besides the hubby’s nephew got left behind at the house and I don’t think that he could manage staying alone in the house overnight. So after eating an early dinner and with some lechon paksiw for takeout, we left feeling quite satisfied with all the food and fun and laughter we just shared with family members we only see during occasions like these. Adios everyone! Till next month…

WHITEY’S NEW BABIES

Last night upon arriving home, the kids told me that Whitey has started to tear off some hair from her chest, a sure sign of nesting, in preparation for childbirth. And I was suddenly taken aback because I have seen that her tummy is still way too small to be pregnant. I began counting back to May 10 and indeed today is 30 days after they mated. Still, I watched her closely and I saw her exhibiting the same signs like the last time when she gave birth – digging the floors of her cage as if she wants to bury something and tearing off hair and carrying them in her mouth to a corner of her cage. I helped her make a nest of shredded newspaper. Then, I monitored her progress at 1 am and then again at 3am and finally at 5am but she still hasn’t given birth. So I thought for a time it may be a false pregnancy!

Then today, just as we were leaving for AFPOVAI at 10 am, I saw that Whitey had finally given birth to only three kits (so that’s why her tummy is too small!) But the sad thing is the other two babies died, I am just not sure why??? Maybe she stepped over them because one was so bloodied and seemed squished but maybe they were not really properly formed so that’s why they were too small. I would have wanted to properly nourish her first after her first childbirth that is why I didn’t want her to get pregnant yet. I guess her body just wasn’t ready to nourish another litter of bunnies just yet - so now we know! Next time we better wait a few months when she’s ready before letting her mate again.

BLUE IS DEAD!

We only had them for a month - four lovebirds or maybe parakeets that we have fed and nourished with different sorts of feeds/seeds. They were given to us by Mama the last time we visited her on Mother’s Day then this morning, I was surprised to see one of them, the cute chubby blue one lying coldly on her side - stone dead! I wonder what we did wrong??? Is it the weather that they were unaccustomed to??? But I did notice that some of them were pecking at him -the other three birds, particularly one small yellow one was bullying him. Maybe they got into a fight and I just didn’t see. Well, that’s just too bad because now we lost one pet.

FAREWELL …MANG QUETO!

Today, a few officemates and I visited the wake of a recently retired officemate - Mang Queto. He used to work for the Records division and so we usually see him going around bringing mail or other communication from the office to the different units. He turned 65 last year so even if he still doesn’t want to stop working, he doesn’t have much choice because Civil service rules prohibits hiring him even on contractual basis. I guess that took its toll on him since I heard he needs to continue earning because most of his kids do not have work and still depend on him despite having families of their own already.

They said he went to work for a previous boss of the office just to earn a living – doing some gardening and other odd jobs around their house. It was quite hot on the day he had a stroke so many believe it was the heat that did him in or maybe the pressure he felt or the desperation. I guess he was just placed in a very bad situation that’s not really at all his fault because he’s old and he deserves to rest and just enjoy the fruits of his labor. But alas he still can’t because he still has to earn for his family. He had been a casual employee for the most of his career which is why he wasn’t entitled to any pension and therefore can’t just cool his heels while waiting for money to arrive monthly. And I realize there are many people I know who are like that, they don’t have SSS or GSIS so they do not have anything to fall back on when their old age comes knocking on their door. It’s good if you’re still strong and can still work…but what if you’re not???

I hope when that time of my life comes, I won’t have to work anymore. I hope to just live simply on a pension that’s just enough to cover my meals and medicines (hehehe) I hope, too, that when I am already old my kids would still continue to support me, even the simple perks in life that I may have – like a cup of Starbucks coffee or even a trip to someplace nice. But one thing for sure I don’t want to spend the remaining days of my life still working my ass off. I hope to just chill out and putter about in a place I could call my own even if it’s just a small home with a small garden, lots of books, and of course, a laptop with internet!

KIT’S 15TH BIRTHDAY

It’s my little boy’s birthday today, but he’s not so little anymore. He’s turning fifteen now and today may be the last time that we may be able to spend his birthday with him here at home in case he gets accepted to MAAP next year. Oh no, I can’t bear to think of that just yet. I’m missing him already! So the hubby and I decided to leave early after eating lunch so that I could help in the preparations for his birthday. Thankfully, today we won’t be deluged by his relatives from Bahay Pare. Instead, it would be just us, family members and some of his friends/neighbors as his guests. We prepared siomai (steamed and fried), red spaghetti, carbonara, grilled hotdogs, fried itik/bibe and his friends drank Boracay rum. Well, I guess they had fun since they made some bit of noise outside. Anyway, here are some pics…

A not-so-new Yashica camera

I am just disappointed, not truly mad because I guess he was just a victim as I was. You see the hubby recently ‘bought’ a camera from a ‘friend’ - a friend whom he says is soon going abroad which is why he needed the money. But, in truth, we do not really need a camera, because we are still able to use the Kodak camera from the office. However, I thought that the ‘friend’ was truly ‘in need’ so I relented and let him use ‘our money’. But what was disappointing was that we were led to believe that the camera was a Canon, so even if it was already used, I agreed to let the ‘friend’ pawn it for 3K. Turns out that the camera was actually a Yashica camera – Japan-made but not of the caliber of Nikon - and what’s worse, there was no charging cable, no USB cable to transfer the files, nothing at all! Which leads one to wonder if indeed the camera was his friend’s in the first place??? Very, very disappointing indeed!










P.S. This is not a photo of the actual camera, this is just the file photo I got from the net. It seems Yashica is known for its DSLR line a long, long, long time ago (judging from the looks of this file photo) but not really for its point and shoot cams.

FILM REVIEW: Percy Jackson and the Olympians – The Lightning Thief

This is another good movie that was once again introduced by my son to me. It was about Greek mythology (an interest we both share) particularly the story of a young boy named Percy who discovers that he is a demi-God – a product of the union between a God and a mortal. But his dad is not just any mere God, but rather one of the big three, Poseidon. But he does not know this and grew up hating his father whom he thought has abandoned him since birth. Then, during one class tour at a museum, Percy was attacked by a Fury, disguised as a teacher who claims he stole the lightning bolt of Zeus. Percy soon discovers that another history teacher (played by Pierce Brosnan) and even his best friend Grover knew his secret identity and was protecting him all along. And so after the incident, Percy with his mom and best friend proceed to Camp Half Blood to further protect Percy and be with his own kind (demigods) but before getting inside, his mom is taken by a Minotaur.

Inside the camp, Percy meets other demigods dressed in ancient Greek attire – complete with weapons: shields, swords, and bows - to train and fight to harness their abilities. Percy goes on to meet Annabeth (a pretty brunette who was the daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom), Luke (son of Hermes, the messenger God) and their teacher, Mr. Brunner who is Chiron, a centaur (half-man and half-horse) and trainer of students. Chiron, then brings Percy to his house/quarters in the camp and he soon realizes that he is the son of Poseidon. Chiron explained that this was why his identity needed to be kept a secret because being a son of the big three, he posed a threat to Olympians.

Percy then engages in training with the other students and they go into battle with Percy joining the blue team headed by Luke and Annabeth heading the red team. They soon battle each other for control of the flag and Percy uses the water from a nearby stream to regain strength and parry Annabeth’s blows eventually defeating her and getting the flag. That night, the kids celebrate with some dinner and drinks but their festivities get disrupted by a visit from Hades demanding Percy to give him the lightning bolt in exchange for his mother, who is his prisoner in the Underworld.

Later that night, Percy decides to leave camp to try to rescue his mother (despite Chiron’s plans to continue training first, go to Olympus to appeal to Zeus and rescue his mom later). He is joined by Grover and Athena who wanted to join him in his quest. Their only problem is how to go to the Underworld and so they seek Luke’s help because his dad (Hermes) is a frequent visitor there. Luke says he doesn’t talk to his father (still the same father issues as Percy) but he gave them three things to help them get there – winged shoes, a map to help them find Persephone’s pearls (to be used in going out of the Underworld), and his favorite shield.

Hence, the three proceed with their quest, with the map showing the first location of the pearl at a Garden emporium in New Jersey. They soon discover that they have inadvertently walked into Medusa’s lair. Percy and Grover find Medusa trying to get Annabeth to open her eyes and they save her with Percy distracting Medusa to run after him and beheading her. Before they leave, they find the pearl in Medusa’s bracelet and sets off to the map’s next location – the Parthenon replica at Nashville, Tennessee. There, they see the pearl placed on top of a statue of Athena, that’s 30 feet tall. The three had to wait until the museum closes so that Percy can use the flying shoes to reach Athena’s headdress and the pearl. But before they can peacefully leave, they had to battle it out with a five-headed hydra. Despite their mistakes (since Percy cuts off the hydra’s head which made two more grow in its place), they successfully get the pearl and defeat the now ten-headed hydra by using Medusa’s head, turning the hydra instantly into stone.

The map next leads them to a Las Vegas casino where they unknowingly placed themselves in a trance by eating lotus flowers being offered by waitresses. But Percy hears the voice of Poseidon which immediately ‘wakes’ him so he sets out to wake his friends as well. Finally, they head on to their final destination which is Hades lair in Hollywood. The three are taken inside hell by a boatman they bribed with drachmas taken from Medusa’s garden. Then, they are met by three ferocious hellhounds before finally meeting Hades. Hades revealed that he planned to get the lightning bolt to overthrow Zeus and escape the Underworld but Percy tried to explain that he doesn’t have the thunderbolt. They were all surprised when the bolt was found inside the shield that Luke lent them. But what was more surprising was how Persephone zaps Hades with the lightning bolt and tells them all to flee. She says she doesn’t want Hades to win the war since it would mean that she would be trapped in hell forever.

They all leave Hades lair, with Grover left behind since they only have three pearls and so one of them must ‘sacrifice’ to save Percy’s mother. When they crushed the pearl they found themselves at the top of the Empire State Building where Olympus is located. But before they could enter, Luke arrives to prevent Percy from returning the bolt. He reveals that he wanted the gods to go to war so they would destroy themselves and the demigods can then take over. He and Percy fight it out for the bolt and Percy eventually deluges Luke with water from overhead tanks and slays him with a trident shaped from water proving once and for all that he is the son of Poseidon.

Percy and Annabeth enter Olympus in the nick of time just as Zeus was about to declare war. Percy returns the bolt to Zeus explaining that it wasn’t him who stole it but Luke (son of Hermes) who wanted them to destroy themselves in war. Zeus accepts his explanation and declares peace. He also allows Poseidon to talk to his son for the last time. Percy also pleads to Zeus to bring back Grover from Hell and he surprisingly relents. Poseidon and his son finally talk and came to an understanding. The last scene shows Percy back at Half Blood camp with Grover sporting new horns and promoted to Senior Protector.

The movie is definitely derived from Greek mythology although not all the accounts were factual. It was a truly entertaining family movie with just the right amount of action, humor, adventure and history interspersed. In its way, it managed to convey Greek mythology as fun and would hopefully encourage the teenagers who watched it to continue reading up on not just Greek but even Roman mythology, just like what my son and I did because we had our book on Greek mythology open trying to search for the Greek references/stories that were used in the film. It truly is a more exciting and teen-friendly version of the Clash of the Titans.

[photo grabbed from IMDB]

11TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

We celebrated our anniversary today with a simple dinner celebration at home - no dinner out because it was a weekday (Thursday) and we had to bring the shuttle home. I pre-cooked the tuna in olive oil for the pasta this morning while I cooked breakfast, then I bought a cake from Aristocrat – their famous Torta delos Reyes so that the kids and even Ditse could taste this cake that I was able to try during Papa’s 50th birthday. Then I marinated chicken to be cooked in turbo broiler later tonight. Well, the dinner was a bit late even though I told them to cook the pasta already and I will just mix in the olive oil based sauce later. It was because the Shellane suddenly ran out so they had to buy it when we arrived. Then, the pasta seemed a bit bland (realized later that I forgot to put in some cheese hehehe) And the Honey glazed herbed chicken was a tad salty but still it tasted great and the kids enjoyed it! But the greatest hit of the night was the cake from Aristocrat - not too sweet but with all the chocolatey goodness and with crispy wafers inside, surely this would become another family favorite!

Anyway, here are some pics of the food I prepared…










This Honey glazed herbed chicken was marinated overnight in a little salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary and basil. Then before dinnertime, it was popped into the turbo broiler for 4o minutes and then basted with a soy sauce and honey mixture to achieve that golden brown color. Finally here’s the truly delicious cake…

Daily morning ritual – Fresh Calamansi

Today, I attended a meeting for a seminar-workshop that a unit of our office is planning to hold sometime next month and during the break, the presiding officer (a retired general) talked about his daily morning ritual of taking calamansi each morning – pure - no sugar or water just freshly squeezed calamansi juice. He says we should start with just 4 pieces then increase gradually by 4 more until one reaches 28 pieces and then we continue with that practice from then on. And what are the benefits??? Well, he didn’t actually expound on it, just that it cured his hyperacidity and that his bowel movement has become regular because of it. But I thought how could it be when Vit. C is acid??? But he countered that calamansi in its purest form is alkaline, hence it should help settle the stomach if taken first thing in the morning and what’s more one should not drink or eat anything else for an hour after that…hmn… makes sense actually!

So I did some research on it and found that this ‘habit’ is part of ‘The 52 Healing Habits’ that is an invention/creation of Mr. Bo Sanchez, well-known author and lay evangelist. He has been a vegetarian for 18 years and he has espoused this calamansi habit because according to him, it makes your immune system strong. It builds up your body to fight diseases and alkalinizes your body as well. Since cancer cells and germs thrive in an acidic body, they will not feel welcome in an alkaline system.

Okay, so I guess it may have its benefits and what’s more, it’s budget-friendly too so I might as well give it a try!
[photo grabbed from the world wide web]