Ah, Three More Days To Go

Before you think I am super excited about  Christmas, I am. Since  December 21 is about to end in a few hours, let my count be, it’s  three days to go before Christmas.

It was a busy day for me  (weekends are always busy days). We went back to the wet market to buy last-minute things that we need to prepare for Noche Buena. I’m finally done cooking embutido, our Filipino version of meat loaf. My son requested that I put whole hotdogs inside so I also bought Purefood’s tender juicy hotdogs. I normally don’t put hotdog in my embutido recipes  but it’s Christmas anyway so I let my son indulge a bit.  This afternoon, I made a lightning visit to the grocery store to buy confectioner’s sugar since I am also planning to bake  chocolate crinkles  (another request from my son)  but I was a bit disappointed when the sales clerk told me that he doesn’t know what confectioner’s sugar is. They have baking supplies in their shelves and  he pointed to the baking powder lined up there, such a shame because they clearly lost a customer because I am not going back there.  I am reminded  a few months back when I was looking for  baking soda in another supermarket and the sales clerk told me that it was quite sometime since they had a box in their shelves.  I asked how could they sell all those baking goodies when the ingredients are not even complete. On my next visit, I was surprised to see small boxes of baking soda   prettily lined-up along with  all-purpose flour, cake flour, rice flour  and boxes of baking mixes. I smiled. At least they listen to the needs of their customers.

Christmas time is a perfect excuse to make those sinful and calorific sweets. I don’t eat much of them anyway because I usually give them to our neighbors and friends. There is nothing like a home-cooked  food to share, right?  I am planning to bake  chocolate chips cookies with cashew nuts. Yes, you heard it right, cashew nuts. Although there are plenty of cashew nuts here, they don’t come in cheap but compared to other nuts like pecan or walnuts which cost an arm and both legs, they are more practical to use.  Come Christmas Eve, I’ll make carrot squares to go with the traditional pancit bihon and fried chicken.  I usually spend my time laboring  in front of the stove after the holy mass come Christmas day.  This  will probably  be the only time that I won’t do it because I can always prepare the Callos    and macaroni salad the day before.  Would love to spend my time playing with Nate when they come over to celebrate with us.

And Christmas will always be the best time of the year to share love and joys  and make peace with those who may have offended you at some time in your life.  I remember  a  year ago, I posted this message on my wall, Happy Birthday Jesus!  And a child of nine, a relative asked me, “why happy birthday” so I told him, He is the reason why we celebrate Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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Lessons Learned From Kindergarten

 

Good Manners and Right Conduct – lessons learned from Kindergarten. I distinctly remember that GMRC (as it was called then) was one of the major subjects we learned in grade school. I was in a public school during my elementary years and in every corner of the room, you will see such slogans or shall I say, quotations which still hold true in our lives.

Honesty is the best policy.

Don’t talk when your mouth is full.

Simplicity is beauty.

And the golden rule tops it all. You don’t need to read Emily Post to observe courtesy and simple rules, right? Robert Fulghum has summarized everything is his book, All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

Growing up in a household where kissing the hands of the elders is a rule and saying prayers before meals is a must, one learns that simple common courtesy, being tactful and polite, being humble and patient somehow make a big difference from being called a brat to being called a well-brought up individual.  They say that during the first seven years of a child’s life, his brain is like a sponge. If you haven’t instilled the values you want your child to learn by then, teaching him to be more responsive would be hard later on. It does reflect on the parents what manners you have taught your children and believe me, they will carry it through their adult lives.

Attracting  attention to yourself in public….talking loudly, conspicuous clothes, staring at people….How important is keeping good manners and right conduct alive?  It’s true, you become more credible when you are in touch with your manners.

 

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What’s In A Name?

WordPress asked if I am writing under my name or hiding behind an alias.  I never thought of making blogs then signing them in another name. I am proud of it so why should I change it?

Do you believe that your name gives you the power to be you? You can be somebody to another person, you can play being famous to all, you can be your simple self   but deep inside you, you are unique, different from the others because God made you someone special.

It’s hubby’s birthday today but we just stayed home since my son is on a night shift.  I made  sinfully crispy fried onion rings to go with the roast  chicken and pancit bihon.  That’s all there is to it really, just a simple meal for the family.

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The Rituals Of Our Lives

I am in the middle of reading From Beginning to End by Robert Fulghum. A very nice read if you ask me. It’s about the meaningful and spiritual journeys we take in our lives. Some of them may be painful for us to recall, some may be full of joys shared with our loved ones, some may be full of challenges and hardships,  but always in the end, it’s the comforting rituals of our lives that get us through them all.

How do you greet each morning when you wake up? Do you start it with a prayer like I do? Or do you spend a few moments just watching the day unfolds?  Do you welcome the day with gladness in your heart? Do you celebrate each day with anticipation? Are you thankful for another day of blessing?

I love to share with you the lovely Bible quotes from Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8.  Over the years, these quotes kept  me grounded and inspired.

For everything there is a season,

And a time and purpose for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

     a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

     a time to kill, and a time to heal;

     a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

     a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

     a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

     a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

     a time to seek, and a time to lose;

     a time to keep, and a time to throw away;

     a time to tear, and a time to sew;

     a time to keep silent, and a time to speak;

     a time to love, and a time to hate;

     a time for war, and a time for peace.

          For everything there is a season,

          And a time and purpose for every matter under heaven.

 

 

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