The Things I Love

Samuelle's Baptismal Day Kwento and Supplier's Feedback

2013-03-19T00:50:00.001+08:00

In my past life I used to be a blogger. I used to be able to share my feeling openly as I did here, and share random stuff much like here, or maybe even make someone laugh by sharing mundane stuff like here.

But I have become too preoccupied with life, a toddler, the baby, breastfeeding, and being a wife to ever have time to sit down and chatter away. I find that sad though as writing used to be such an outlet for me. And not being able to write could be a sign of a tired and weary soul. Or maybe just pure laziness or whatever.

Looking back, the ever highly popular posts are stories about the parties I've organized for my baby boy. His rockstar themed party here, and the all time high in traffic count would be his Jollibee kiddie party (click here to read that). I'd like to believe I am helping a mom or two out there looking for some ideas and feedback for a supplier that they are thinking of getting. I should know, because I spent my first post partum days lurking at so many mommy blogs reading away their stories about their own events.

It's a bonus factor too that I can easily just look back and read my entry and be reminded of how lovely the day was. And that is what March 10, 2013 was all about. Love. Love overflowing.

Let me tell you about the day through pictures. Also, I'll try to be as detailed as I can to help out mommies out there trying to research about the suppliers below.

1) Newborn Photography: Nice Print

Got this via ensogo deal. Package I think is originally 4k but only paid about 1.5k. It includes numerous prints. There was even one large print with frame. They also gave us all the soft copies on the spot and the edited pictures three days later. Eli our first born had his newborn pictures taken by Stork Studio. I can tell you now that there's a difference given that newborn photography naman talaga ang specialty ng Stork Studio. Truly, there's a reason why almost triple the price ang Stork Studio. So for me, to compare Nice Print sa Stork Studio would be unfair. Ibang league sila e. Although, I am fairly satisfied naman with Nice Print. I did not expect ng sobrang bongga and I got what I paid for. Plus, cute naman si baby so carry na. Haha! So advice lang, if gusto nyo talaga ng truly bongga and willing naman mag shell out ng extra bucks go for Stork Studio. However, if you just want a simple picture, no frills, with decent editing and prints okay na ang Nice Print.

2) Baptismal Ceremony Venue: Sta. Clara de Montefalco

Initially I was having reservations if I will book this church because they do not offer special baptism. I tried and tried to convince the persons on the booking department to allow us to have a special baptism but di gumana ang aking convincing powers. I really wanted to have the baptism at this church because this is our parish church, this is where we hear mass every Sunday, plus it's only 5 minutes away from our condo's clubhouse where we will have our reception. So goodbye na sa kaartehan and we decided to just book to have our baptismal rites here. The seminar started at around 10:10am and ended an hour after. It was held sa basement ng simbahan. Super init! So make sure you bring pamaypay, or electric fan kung carry nyo haha. After that, the baptismal rites were held na at the actual church. Although there were 19 babies na bibinyagan (ang dami!), the entire service did not last very long. The cost is just very minimal (sorry I forgot na how much) and I liked that there was a free white over garment na and candles for the parents and godparents. The candles are huge ha. So overall I am quite happy we decided to have the ceremony here instead. For one, di na kami lumayo and the church was lovely. See below.

3) Reception Venue: Riverfront Residences Clubhouse Function Hall

No brainer ang decision na ito because for one we live here hehe. It was so convenient for us to choose this as our venue. I decided against this being our venue for Eli's rockstar party because I figured it is hard to dress up the venue to suit the theme. However now, since it is just a baptism party theres not much tweaking needed for the venue. The function hall is quite spacious, has a lot of natural light, and cozy enough to make our guests feel comfortable. Super sakto lang sya for the occasion and our number of guests (about 120). Anything more than 150 siguro would be masikip na. There might be a different cost if you are not a resident. If you are considering this to be your venue, just call our PMO to inquire. I did not even dress up the venue anymore but overall it still looked great. :)

3) Catering: Verleo

One's food provider will make or break an event. That's why super na OC ako sa paghahanap ng caterer with good feedback but is still affordable. There were many positive feedbacks kay Verleo so I decided to give them a try. I had my menu custom made: Japanese fried rice, Korean chapchae, ox tongue steak, fish fillet with asparagus & XO sauce, mixed vegetables, sushi bar, and a halo halo station. For the kids: baked spaghetti, chicken lollipops, and plain rice. I shall not reveal the price however, I can tell you now that it was very, very reasonable. Tasted the food myself (liked the rice, chapchae, and baked spag the most) and also based sa feedback ng guests they told me that the food was great. Although for me the mixed vegetables was a bit bland so I suggest get another viand for your veggies instead. We also bought additional food: laing and lechon. There was no corkage fee. The waiters (especially the head waiter) were very attentive to the guests needs. Also ang galing nila ha, imagine I only paid for 100 heads and more than 130 guests came (wala ng nag a-R-SVP iilan lang! okay, moving on. happy naman talaga ako that many people came) plus the crew pa of my other suppliers and everyone was still able to eat. There were some leftovers pa which they packed. They rightfully deserve the positive buzz they are getting. Kudos Verleo! (Tip lang: wag mag rely sa RSVP, in our case kahit in the end may leftovers pa medyo stress parin na baka maubusan ng food. In my opinion, mas okay na sobra kesa kulang. Buti nalang we had jumbo lechon and laing. If not for those baka nagkulang na food. You can also bring extra 1.5 softdrinks which they will serve on top of the ones that is included sa package. Bumili kme ng extra cases of variety of softdrinks kaso we forgot ibaba sa kotse. Fail. Amp! Hehe.)

4) Souvenirs for godparents: St. Paul's

I decided to buy simple trinklets for the godparents. I gave crystal rosaries for ninangs, and 3D Mother Mary frame for the ninongs. Just a little something to let them know that we truly appreciate them for being part of our lives. The wrapping was lovingly made by yours truly. #andamingoras :D

5) Souvenirs for guests: Flowers of Hope for Jewelyn

I decided to get my souvenir from tatay Rolando after reading mommy Neva's blog post. This made the souvenirs extra special in my opinion. Read up about Jewelyn and I hope her story will inspire you as well.

6) Mobile Studio: Picture!

Ayan masyadong direct to the point ang kanilang company name: Picture! Mobile Studio. Hehe. We originally booked another supplier for our photobooth. However, we attended a friend's wedding last Feb 09. Kakaiba ang set up may kama at higa higa factor. Also we liked the quality of the printed pictures (walang pores!). After much consideration (and me pleading to the husband na pumayag sya), I decided to blow off the deposit I originally made for another photobooth and book these guys instead. I made the right call! :D Effort naman talaga, imagine they brought so many props (bed, crib, a granny chair plus many more). And in fairness it was something fairly new. Every party I've been to has photobooth na (medyo may umay factor na ng slight: sorry no offense meant). I'm sure mauuso na rin itong mobile studio eventually so I'm happy our guests got to experience it while medyo bago-bago pa sya. I highly recommend them super for a different kind of experience. Charina is very professional and easy to talk to. She's very receptive of my ideas and suggestions while giving also her expert opinion. They really captured the look I was going for based on the peg that I sent them. Good job to this team!

7) Candy Buffet: SweetyKs

Tita Kate made Sam's candy buffet. It was so lovingly made. The details were quite awesome. She followed my color scheme to a T. Everyone kept coming back for the sweet stuff. Kate is just starting with her business but I am sure she will go a long way judging by how great she delivered during Sam's baptism.

8) Sound System: Bluehive Lights and Sounds

I realized I had no picture of these guys. Very reasonable price. Equipments and song selections were up to date. Jason was a little bit missing in action the day before as he failed to reply to my texts. Understandable naman because they had an event pala the night before. Medyo makulit lang talaga ako when it comes to reminding my suppliers. I suggest there's no harm in triple checking your suppliers (it pays to be OC and makulit).

9) Cake: Estrel's Caramel Cakes

This cake was ninong Keith and tita Cookie's gift to Sammy. Estrel's happens to be one of my favorite cakes in the whole wide world. It's not so sweet. For me eto ang parang J.Co ng cakes hehe. Yun nga lang they only do pre-order and pick up. During holidays (Christmas, Mother's Day, etc.) I suggest order at least a week or two in advance. Sometimes they don't accept orders na pag sobrang dami na ang naka order plus always busy ang kanilang phonelines (sila na ang mabenta). Notice nyo rin sa ASAP tuwing meron artistang may birthday sure yun meron Estrel's. Tee hee. Sila na! :)

9) 2nd Cake: 16th Heaven

Our second cake is also a gift, this time from tita Yeda. She makes delicious, beautiful, and most importantly affordable theme cakes. Check out her FB site.

10) Invitations and Thank You Card: Storybook.ph

Initially I contacted SirioPrints because they were the ones that printed Eli's invitations before. It is so easy to transact with them. When I texted the number of SirioPrints I have, they said na Storybook.Ph na sila. Eto subok ko na talaga to. Even though, they are a bit more expensive than other suppliers I canvassed I decided to go for them kasi konti lang naman difference plus sure ko na di glossy yung paper na gagamitin nila. The paper is sturdy. Printing quality is great also. All communication was done via email lang, so very convenient.

11) Co-organizers, ushers, hosts, etc.: Team Sammy

To get rid of my initial post partum blues, I immersed myself in planning Sam's baptismal party. I gave birth Dec 29 and by 2nd week of January I have booked almost all my suppliers already (excited much). Last minute into the preparation, I realized I wanted it to be more organized as in with seating arrangement, programs, the works. Everything would not be as smooth if not for my friend Dianne, Kate, and the friends of my sister (they call themselves Magic4, artista ata sila. chos). Ninong Keith and tita Cookie were the hosts. Ethel was in charge of our reception. Tin and Cha were the ushers, and they were also in charge of the mobile studio and buffet queuing. Kate, aside from supplying the candy buffet, was also overseeing the set up. Dianne was in charge of the overall program and the details that I might have overlooked. Love ko sila, they really helped a lot.

Tip: It really pays to be OC. Hire trusted suppliers. Read up feedback from blogs, forums, etc. Be very clear what you want out of your suppliers. I decided to print coloring pages for the kids so they have something to do as it could get pretty boring for them. Kahit masakit sa ulo it pays to have a general seating arrangement so that hindi magulo for the guests. Lastly and most importantly, be nice to your providers especially the waiters. If you asikaso them they will asikaso your guests back. I ordered Jollibee breakfast for them since 7:30am pang nag se-set up na sila for our lunch reception. Make sure you have extra water/beverages for them. Give them tips if they did a good job.

I am happy with how everything turned out. We are super touched by everyone who came. Until now more than a week after I can't help but still smile when I look back.

Welcome to the Christian world to our dear Sammy! We love you very very much our sweet sweet baby. :)

Just wanted to say...

2013-02-14T21:28:00.001+08:00

that you Jp, are the love of my life. Nothing in this world can ever change that. Take comfort in knowing that in this lifetime you have been truly and honestly loved. Thank you for choosing to forgive me during times I should have said sorry first but I didn't. Thank you for embracing me tighter during times you realized you have married an imperfect woman filled with insecurities and fears.

May you never forget how much we make each other laugh. May we never let complacency make our relationship dull. Most importantly may we never ever make pride get the best of us.

What a beautiful life we have for together we are complete.

This day, I realized I should always strive to be kinder to you more than to anyone else. And if sometimes I fail, please love me and I'll realize it soon enough, I promise.

Loving you is as natural as everyday. And there is nothing in this world that I look forward to than spending the rest of my days with you.

Your wife,
Love

Guest Post: Why you should consider investing first, then work on that business idea next

2013-02-10T08:39:00.002+08:00

Below is my husband's second installment on his series of entries on personal finance. I tell you, I have never seen anyone as passionate as him when it comes to spreading the benefits of investing and securing one's future. He says it's his personal advocacy. He gets nothing out of it but he takes pleasure in knowing that he can possibly influence at least one person out there to be more financially savvy. We are not yet 100% financially secure but I must say our family is on our way there by having my husband as our leader. I admire his tenacity and passion beyond words. And I am willing to follow him to the ends of the world (insert cheesy Valentines song here haha). Okay enough of my nonsense and let's get on with pure logic and genius. Go ahead, I promise it will be worth you time.

Note: to read his first entry on stock investing click here.

Guest Post:

Pursuing a side income entails a lot of time and effort. Of course capital is also needed, but if you have a regular job then that should no longer be an issue. Anyway, I know of one which only entails time. That is by investing. But more on that later.

As you may have known already, side income can be obtained ultimately in three ways

Working extra

Putting up a business

Investing

By working extra, you can work overtime, put up an online store, get into real estate and connect buyers to sellers, provide service to others, etc. What is common among these examples is that the extra income comes only if you provide extra time and extra effort.

By putting up a business, you painstakingly setup, fine-tune, and run a system of business processes. After some time, even if you do not provide extra time and effort, the side income still comes. That is because after all the initial hard work you have done to set the business up, it is now self-sustaining.

By investing, you only need a capital. You only need to set aside a portion of your income and put that portion in an investment vehicle.

Now here is the kicker: which one among the three above-mentioned items can you setup right away with the least amount of effort? If today is a Friday, which one can have you all set by Monday?

Say you decide to put up an online store. You will have to setup the website, procure the items that you will sell, and market your product. That’s it and you are done. But afterwards, you will still have to spend extra time and exert extra effort in dealing with buyer queries, settlement of payments, and logistics solutions to deliver your product. There is a constant additional time and effort involved.

Setting up a self-sustaining business is similar to the example above, but on a much grander scale. It will entail a lot of toil initially, but if you stick to it and put your focus on it, the harvest will be abundant. It will run and sell itself on its own even with only minimal supervision. I think only a select few people who are gifted with business savvy or are gifted with good selling skills can pull this through.

Investing is easier. You will just have to go to an investment company, fill out a form, submit the filled-out form with the requirements, and then deposit the initial investment. That’s it. No extra work after that. You will just need to wait it out and monitor your investments every once in a while.

Working extra or putting up a business requires a lot of selling while investing requires no selling but a lot of time. According to one newsletter from my subscription to Bo Sanchez' Truly Rich Club (link here), investing will make you richer later (like in ten years), but selling will make you richer sooner than later (five years).

In my opinion, you can get started now with investing. Like, RIGHT ABOUT NOW. It is the basic-level in securing your future. Can you set-up a business as fast as that? I hope you won't, as you need to carefully plan it.

Running a business is intermediate level. So I think it is important to first have the basics in place. Getting an insurance is a form of investment. You can also invest in the stock market (How? Click here). With that already set-up, that is when you can think of other ways how to earn by working on that business idea you may have been cultivating in your mind all this time.

Lessons on Breastfeeding

2013-01-18T15:28:00.000+08:00

I have a draft on how I celebrated my 31st birthday. But who really cares about a 30 something mother turning another year older right? So it's still in my drafts. Let me just tell you that I love birthdays. I love celebrations. Heck, I love anything that would allow me to celebrate. But just to sum it all up. I am happy that it was my birthday and I am glad I was able to celebrate it with the people that truly matters to me.

So let me just talk about what I have been up to lately -- I gave birth! To a beautiful, perfect, sweet, little baby girl we named Sam. Oh she is such a sweetheart. And so I am spending about 70% of my day now breastfeeding her. And since my newsfeed (in facebook) is now filled with friends who just gave birth or who are just about to, I decided to do this piece instead.

I just thought it would be nice to share my thoughts on this as I have done here (<--click) initially. Being a second time breasfteeding mama, I am more mature now. There's less drama this time. You will not believe how such of a drama queen I was during the first time. I even called my Pedia, weeping in the middle of the night.

Which brings me to now. Doing this for the second time, I will definitely not declare that I am an expert on this. I am not a formula hater as well. I will never look down on a mom who decided to bottle feed their kids. Nor will I declare that breastfeeding is for everyone. It is still your body, your life, and your child. Ultimately, you will know what will be best for your kids. Let no one take that feeling away from you.

So who am I? I am just a mother who is very, very determined to breastfeed her children. I will not enumerate the health benefits of breastfeeding anymore plus all other numerous advantages (I mean it's free, is there anything cheaper than that?!). I am here to tell you the things that helped me stay committed to my decision.

1) Breastfeeding is something you learn. I took all three breastfeeding classes offered by Medela Moms. I bought books, browsed the internet, read tons of mommy blogs for inspiration, attended a La Leche League meeting, even went to the classes offered by The Medical City. The more you know the less likely you will give up when you hit a roadblock.

2) Arm yourself with the right tools. As it will hurt (extremely - for me at least) during the first week, get a good nipple cream. I used Lansinoh. I also bought Avent Breast Shells. Good pairs of nursing bras. A nursing cover so you can continue to breastfeed even if you have visitors. That's basically all there is to it. (Note - especially to first time moms: try to limit your visitors in the hospital. As you are still trying to learn the ropes of breastfeeding and you might be more self conscious ask your well meaning friends to visit you about two weeks after giving birth already so you're sure you've already mastered breastfeeding by that time.)

3) Educate everyone that is close to you on your decision. Get their support and buy in. The last thing you need is a voice discouraging you. Although, since it is not a perfect world you will always have people telling you things you do not need to hear. During these times, just smile and ask them to get you a glass of water. :)

4) DO NOT BUY FEEDING BOTTLES (yet). Lest you be tempted, stay away from these until you are a few weeks away from returning to work.

5) Don't be insecure with your milk supply. Size does not matter. Never compare yourself to other moms. Keep telling yourself that you have more than enough for your baby.

6) Just to reiterate. It will hurt. I just squeeze ~~and break~~ my husbands fingers whenever it hurts extremely to just release some of the ~~anger~~ 'energy'. Do believe that in a few days it will go away. (Also, this would be a good time to go back and read all the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding just to push yourself. 90% of the time it hurts because of an incorrect latch. So have the patience to teach yourself and the new baby the proper technique. In a few days, it's going to be smooth sailing believe me.)

7) Do not forget yourself. Eat! (Breastfeeding moms burn approximately 500 calories just by breastfeeding). By eat, meaning a proper balanced nutrition. Drink plenty of fluids. I was eating plenty of galactagouges (foods that help increase milk supply) like oatmeal, halaan, warm soup, malunggay leaves, and the like. Oh, and also indulge every now then (go eat that sundae you've been craving). :)

8) Breastfeed on demand. Nurse as frequently as you can. Both Eli and Sammy are forever attached to me during their first weeks. It's okay. They like to nurse for plenty of reasons and it's NOT because they are not getting enough.

9) Finally, so you can also get that much needed sleep during the night: master the side lying feeding position. :) Believe me, this will save your life!

Okay what else? I am pretty sure there might be a couple of things I might be forgetting but those above are pretty much the most important things that I can remember. Oh, and here are the sites that I frequent to the most: Kellymom, Dr. Sears, La Leche League International. Also some blogs: Chronicles of a Nursing Mom and The Leaky Boob. And there's plenty more, numerous forums and website all dedicated to this. Just have the patience and determination to stick by with your decision. And hey, take it one day at a time to enjoy this period of your life to the fullest.

Cheers mommies!

Guest Post: How you can start investing in the stock market

2012-11-25T20:18:00.002+08:00

I don't always come up with posts that makes a lot of sense. Primarily because my intended audience is always just myself, hubby, and our children (when they are old enough to get embarrassed by my posts hee hee). I also would like for my son and daughter to have an idea what their mom 'sounded' like back in the day.

So, sometimes it amazes me why certain demographics (don't get me wrong they are still a very few) outside my family bothers to read my musings at all. Okay, so now to my point. You may not want to read this little blog BUT I urge you not to let this one pass.

My husband is my guest blogger. And he will talk about something that might change your outlook when it comes to your finances. No strings attached just pure unadulterated sharing for the sake of passing on something good. Read up. ;)

Note to hubby: I hope you can do more of this to add more sense in this blog. Haha. As always I am prouder of you than anyone else in this earth could ever be.

How you can start investing in the stock market

Introduction

I believe that the fear of the unknown is what prevents many Filipinos from investing in the stock market. I think the two most common misconceptions about the stock market are: (1) too technical for ordinary people to understand and (2) too risky to put your money in.

It has become my personal advocacy to reach out to as many friends as I can and introduce them to stock market investing. I started with it when I came across Bo Sanchez's book "My Maid Invests in the Stock Market... and Why You Should, Too!" Catchy title right?

But first let me just get these things out of the way: I'm doing this for free and I won't get an income out of this (well probably a little if you use the affiliate link I provided at the end). I just want to make people aware of this option on how to grow money. Also I'm subscribed to Bo Sanchez's teaching on stock market investing, so what I'm telling here is just my interpretation of that. His teaching made a lot of sense to me, and my purpose is to just relay the message.

So how can you get started? Read on.

What You Need to Get Started

First you need to understand and appreciate the following simple concept, discipline, and attitude in order to do stock market investing:

Compound interest
Consistent, regular setting aside of a portion of your income for stock market investing
Knowing the difference between stock market trading and stock market investing

I’ll discuss items 1 and 2 first, and then proceed with item 3.

Compound Interest and Consistent Saving

Albert Einstein once said, “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.”

Did you know that that P50 can become P50 million and make you insanely wealthy because of compound interest? Consider the following tables:

Above are different investment vehicles. You need an investment vehicle to grow your money.

Some people put their money in banks under a time deposit account, like in table (i). As you can see, the initial P50 becomes P50 million because of compound interest, but it takes 469 years. However, smarter people put their money in, e.g., government-issued bonds (table(ii)) or invest their money in the stock market (table(iii)). They use a faster vehicle to grow their money.

The investors in the tables above ONLY made a one-time investment of P50 and let compound interest do its work. But are you only capable of such a similar move?

I’m sure you can do better than putting in a P50-savings once in your lifetime right? You can instead put in P50 every year, yes?

But you can do better than P50! Why not put in P100? Why not put in P1,000? Why not P2,000?

And of course you can do better than a once-a-year saving! Why not instead of putting in P2,000 every year, you do it every quarter? Or why not do it every month?

Let’s say you decided to put in P2,000 every month which makes P24,000 per year. Using the rate in table (iii), see computation below how that very doable effort can bring you faster to a wealthy status:

Which is what drives the next point after compound interest – consistent and regular setting aside of a portion of your income. It doesn’t matter how much you can set aside (but if you can set aside more, you can reach your wealthy status faster). What matters is that you do it regularly. If your age now is 40 it’s possible you still have another 42 years ahead of you, and if you start investing now, you will be P56 million richer by 82!

Knowing the difference: Stock Market Trading vs. Stock Market Investing

To earn from the stock market, as you may have heard, you need to buy low and sell high. Both stock market trading and stock market investing essentially subscribe to this principle, but they differ in the time period wherein this principle is being applied.

Stock Trading or Active Trading

In stock market trading, the buying and selling activities happen in a span of a month, weeks, days, or even hours. Trading within these short time spans often necessitates a lot (really a lot!) of effort and makes use of very complex statistical analysis and forecasting tools.

Figure 1: Stock Market Trading

Figure 1 is as sample stock price movement. The green bars mean that the stock price is in an upward movement, while the red bars mean that it is in a downward movement. So to be able to use the “buy low, sell high” principle, stock market traders try to place a stock purchase at each of the bottom-most portion of the red bars, hold a bit, and then sell at each of the top-most portion of the green bars.

In media portrayals, those involved in stock market trading enjoy very high returns or suffer very big losses. To beat the market, they pour over a lot of data analysis on the fluctuations in stock prices. They are celebratory when they beat the market or suicidal when the market beats them.

I think this kind of media portrayal is what scares most people from being involved in the stock market.

Stock Market Investing or Passive Investing

In stock market investing, the buying and selling happen in a span of several months, a year, or several years. Short-term fluctuations do not matter and so one does not need to put in a lot of effort in predicting when to purchase or sell a stock.

Figure 2: Stock Market Investing

Using the illustration above let’s assume that you don’t have time in closely monitoring the stock prices and decided to just passively purchase shares at regular intervals. Let’s also assume a very unlikely worst case scenario wherein you placed all of your purchases at each of the bottom-most portion of the red bars.

If you average out all of these stock purchases in a span of several months or years, you still earn if you decide to sell in the end. This is called “cost-averaging.” The important thing here is there should be consistent stock purchases at regular intervals.

As you can see, you don’t have to predict when the stock prices will fall at its lowest or rise at its highest (that is a very complex science). You just have to pick big, well-managed companies that are very likely to maintain its profitability (can you imagine Ayala, SM, or PLDT not being profitable?). Then you just do a piggy-back ride on their profits by buying stocks from them.

Parting words

Before you get to pick the right companies where you can buy your shares from, you should have a broker that will serve you with your stock market investing needs. I use the online stock broker COL Financial wherein I have an account. For details, visit this link: https://www.colfinancial.com/ape/Final2/home/open_an_account.asp

Understanding and appreciating the three items I have described above is I think already 90% of the strategy that you need to apply in stock market investing. My goal in this write-up is to convince you that you can do stock market investing. I hope I was able to do that. This is the basic level – knowing that you can do it.

On a side note, I have and still am subscribed to Bo Sanchez’s Truly Rich Club which is where I get directions on how I can maximize further my stock investment earnings. In this on-line community, members regularly receive stock updates that include which good companies to buy, when to buy, until when to hold, and when to sell. This is the remaining 10% of my strategy. You can visit http://bosanchezmembers.com/amember/go.php?r=19813&i=b0 for details.

Elijah 2nd Birthday: Jollibee Kiddie Party

2012-11-22T19:10:00.002+08:00

This blog post has been delayed for over two weeks. I cannot even begin to describe how hectic our schedules have become. I am eight months pregnant very round belly, chasing after a now very curious and assertive toddler. You can just imagine. But I cannot let the season pass without talking about my son's 2nd birthday party. When he's twelve and he asks me what was his birthday like at least I have a reference hehe.

I cannot believe it's been a year since I organized Eli's Rockstar themed 1st birthday party at Centerstage (read about it here). The second birthday party was more low key. Party planning took only less than a week. For one, I had lesser suppliers to think about this time and I really had no actual theme I needed to stick by. I just knew I wanted the color scheme of orange, blue, and green.

Lower maintenance but equally fun nevertheless. The important thing is I felt the overflowing love for our baby boy. I mean that's what parties are all about right? To celebrate the precious gift that is the celebrant. I am really thankful to everyone who came to the party. It was simple and people went home happy. Thank you for your time, and precious gifts.

Here are photos to give you an idea on how the event went:

Photobooth courtersy of Fotostyle
Affordable and very professional. Party proper started at 11am
and they were at the venue as early as 9am. I loved the quality of their outputs.
(Thanks ninang Cookie and kuya Keith for your gift!)

Candy buffet: courtesy of Kendi Cart
This was a hit among kids and adults.
I highly recommend these guys as well. Sulit for the price.
(Thanks ninang Belet for this! =))

Another shot of the candy buffet.
Simple design just the way I like it.

Balloon centerpieces c/o Smile Party Events & Balloon Decor.

Balloonderitas and Balloon Pillars
also from Smile Party Events & Balloon Decor

We got the Jollitown cake from Jollibee.
Their supplier is Red Ribbon. This was a mocha cake. Yum!

Snap watches given as souvenirs for kids (gift of my mom).
The rest of the prizes I bought from Landmark and SM.

Daddy Jp and the very pregnant me.
Eli hated having his pictures taken!
Outfit me: Dress by Forever21, Cardigan from my friend Jen.
Outfit daddy: FUBU shirt, some jeans. =)

This was what the venue looked like.
Quite spacious in my opinion and easy lang magkita kita ang mga tao.
However, when the guests started pouring in (about 90 persons)
it became a bit crowded also. But it's all right in my opinion.

This was during the prayer.

Daddy and the birthday boy looking at his guests.
Outfit Eli: shirt by Mossimo kids, short pants by Moose Gear

Just because I love pictures of other people taking pictures of other people.
Haha.

Opening remarks by daddy JP.

The party wouldn't be complete without Jollibee's
signature balloon popping game.
Thank you tita Tanya and ninong Mon for being so competitive.

We did not have that many kiddie guests kaya the games was for the
kids at heart instead. The games were lively and fun.
Especially if nanood ka lang hehe.

One of the rare times na nagpakuha ng picture ang birthday boy.
With daddy and his lolo Oca.

Again competitive ang games ng adults.
Akala mo Olympics diba?

Since the girls lost they had to dance with Jollibee
to the tune of... "Gangnam Style" of course!
(Note to Eli: you probably won't remember what Gangnam Style is
but during your second year national anthem yan sa mga parties!)

Eli and 2nd cousin Enzo.
Eli just adores Jollibee.

I bought these non toxic bubble toys so that the kids had something
to play with when they are bored.

Here are the kiddie guests.
Aren't they all cute?
(Look at Jollibee naka beautiful eyes sa likod hehe.)

See? Love nya talaga si Jollibee.

I think he wants to take home Jollibee.

Sulit the Jollibee party just for this adorable picture.

I was saying to Eli:
"Anak, say good bye na to Jollibee because we can't take him home."

Kudos to the mascot assigned to us.
Super hardworking and kwela. I think he stayed for more than an hour.

He performed three songs!

Blowing of the cake. Mainit na ang ulo ng birthday boy.

I just love this candid shot!
Ayaw nyang paalisin si Jollibee LOL. =)

Kudos to the staff of Jollibee Sheridan. I know we had some issues at the beginning during the booking process but your guys made up for it in many ways.

Just send me a message if you have any questions on the suppliers I booked.

Hooray for Two!

2012-11-11T08:49:00.003+08:00

Hi Eli, you are 2 today! You hear that? Those are 2 wonderful years of getting to know you and discovering ourselves as your parents. From day 1 I just resolved into loving you in every way I know how. That is rejoicing every ordinary days that I get to be your mom and take care of you. Your dad though, was such a discovery.

I knew from the moment we married that he’s going to be a great dad. But he even surpassed my high expectations. Ever since you were born I see him becoming more and more devoted to you. I see you holding hands while sleeping and it’s enough for my crazy little heart to overflow with joy. He loved giving you massages (and you love receiving those), he reads stories to you that sometimes bores the two of you but you listen along anyway, you sing silly songs with daddy of lyrics and notes that only your souls understand.

So you see, every day has been filled with quiet contentedness like this. Oh, I can’t even begin to just express how happy you made us. But know for sure that we love and adore you unconditionally. We can’t wait to travel the world with you. To bring you to your first Disneyland adventure (HK perhaps? Or Tokyo or Paris if mommy and daddy gets lucky). To witness you take your first elephant ride. Or build your first snowman. For you to experience and see the world as your playground. Where you will work hard on your passion and at the same time have the best fun with things that excite you.

One more thing I am so excited to see you one day (and that’s happening really soon) as a big brother. With a little sister to care for. With a little sister to fight the world for. And a little sister to be with no matter what.

You made us better persons. You made me appreciate more the man that is your dad. You have expanded our world so much.

I love you sweet, silly, little boy. Someday soon, you will choose to build a family of your own but until that day happens we’ll cherish every moment that we have with you.

Love, Mom.

PS: I hope you enjoyed your simple party yesterday although you hated having your picture taken. Today, we'll go to the zoo to see animals that you are just so fascinated at. We love you and happy birthday. :))

To Party or not to Party

2012-09-12T12:24:00.002+08:00

Some mababaw nanay problems. But believe you me mga muthers, I have been having sleepless nights just debating in my head whether Eli should have a party for his 2nd birthday.

Filipino tradition dictates (dictates talaga?! haha) that normally the bonggels parties are during the 1st and 7th birthdays, then followed by 18th (if girl) and 21st (if boy). But not for this mom. I just love parties! I just love the thrill and stress of it all.

But. But. But. Since I will be going 8th months preggers by the time November rolls in I cannot afford any stress. Also, financially speaking mas practical din not to have a party anymore because the money that we can save can go to just buying Eli wonderful stuff and some of it can go to my panganganak fund (read: pang-CS sa The Medical City).

However. However. However. This is the last year na Eli will be celebrating his birthday na he is still our only baby. And his exact birthday fell on a Sunday, so I took it as another sign from the high heavens.

Oh but the stress of guests not doing RSVP.

But the happiness of me choosing what Eli will wear for his party.

And what if it rains and no one goes?

Pero, I already found this really nice location where he can celebrate a low-key party.

But hubby is being oh-so-strict with the 'budget'.

Seeing our closest relatives and friends on that day will be fun though.

See I am ever so torn.

This mama is so confused.

Nevertheless, I love our son that I am sure of. Ultimately, the day is about him. I know whatever we decide on he's going to be happy anyway knowing he is loved by his mom and dad primarily and so many more.

Will keep you updated sisters. =)

Adventures in Baking: Red Velvet Cupcake (dry run)

2012-09-07T22:20:00.004+08:00

My mama's birthday is on Sunday (I love you mama!). I plan to make her the moistest Chocolate cake with thick choco ganache and red velvet cupcakes. Between the two cakes I am more scared of the later. One can never go wrong with a chocolate cake. Slather anything with chocolate and it will automatically taste good.

Thing is cupcakes are so dainty. And I am far from dainty. And I am bit nervous, as this being only my fourth time to bake. (Super novice baker here!) Hence, I needed a dry run before my mom's actual birthday on Sunday.

As luck would have it, the cupcakes were a success. Judged by me. And because I can't go to Sonja's I brought Sonja's to me. (Lumi-level sa Sonja's promise. Hehe.)

Special thanks to my friends who sent their recipes Dits (mommy behind this awesone blog), Lia (she makes iCakes), and Oli. Ultimately, I followed recipe from Joy of Baking.

What I loved about it:
- The cupcakes came out moist, although I tasted a hint of baking soda so for my second batch instead of 1/2 tsp. I will reduce it to 1/4.
- The frosting was not too sweet. Just enough blend of tangy-ness and sweetness. I will reduce the amount of cream though from 2/3 cups to just 1/3 because I found the frosting a bit runny.
- Among all the recipe's I've read this used the fewest amount of flour and sugar yet it still yielded to a perfect equal 12 portions of 3 oz. cupcakes.
- It was yummy. Enough said.

Red Velvet Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups (125 grams) sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons (10 grams) regular unsweetened or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk
1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (I will reduce to 1/4 next time)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted
2/3 cup (160 ml) cold heavy whipping (I will reduce to 1/3 next time)

Red Velvet Cupcakes:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
2) In a large bowl whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.
3) In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
4) In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
5) In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.
6) Working quickly, divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 18 - 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
7) Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and them remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1) In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
2) Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe.
3) Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Some pictures to show you:

Note - sorry for the crappy pictures. I am using a very old camera plus my lack of photography skills.

Some of the raw ingredients for the red velvet cake
(Hubby lovingly procured some of the ingredients for me from Sweetcraft)

Some of the raw ingredients for the cream cheese frosting
(Make sure that the cream cheese is at room temperature before whipping)

Le tools =)
(Nothing fancy there.)

The red velvet batter. So RED!
(do not over mix or you'll end up with bread instead of cake)

See I am a very messy baker.
(Kevs, di na halata pag naluto na.)

The frosting, a bit on the runny side. But very yummy!

Didn't get to take much pictures of the finished product because
my son was in a hurry to eat all of them. =)

Moist Vanilla Layer Cake with Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

2012-08-28T21:43:00.003+08:00

My, my, my mommies! August is about to end and here I am with just a second entry for the month. You will not believe it but time flies even if you are just a stay-at-home-mom.

But I promise to turn over a new leaf because it's already September. Why? Because I love "-ber" months. Why? Because it means Christmas is just around the corner. And there's no other bigger Christmas nut out there more than me. I am giddy over Christmas. I go through the motions of other months just so I can get by until 'the' season arrives again.

Okay so before I get carried away with the thought of the Holidays let me just give you a quick update that I've decided to conquer my fear of baking. Why fear it? Well, I am an excellent cook but I never liked measuring stuff (no wonder I did not became a chemist!). I have said so many times in my recipe series that I like eye-balling stuff.

And baking is pretty much like architecture. You have to be precise on your measurements or else the entire structure will crumble. And the mess (thank God for ate Conching). And the numerous instruments.

However, Martha Stewart is my peg lately (minus the insider trading stuff). So hey, I gotta give baking a try. I've been making butter cakes with my sisters for two consecutive weeks. So I wanted to change it up and make vanilla cakes this time. I know, know, they are almost similar. One thing you have to know though, me and hubby never liked chocolate cakes. For some reason we take a bite at any chocolate and instantly all we taste is bitterness. I know that's very weird of us.

The cake is what it is. It has a very moist vanilla chiffon cake and a fluffy buttercream icing. This is something that I'm sure a lot of you will love. I got the recipe here and tweaked it a bit. For one, I didn't use buttermilk. Also I suggest you reduce the sugar on the icing to make it less sugary.

Here it is mothers:

Vanilla Cake:
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups cake flour, plus extra for dusting pans
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1 3/4 cups sugar (12 1/4 ounces)
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
(Note: it is quite hard to look for buttermilk so instead I used 1 cup milk mixed with 3/4 tsp cream of tartar)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks, room temperature
3 large egg whites, room temperature
(Note: since most eggs on the groceries are medium I used 8 egg yolks and 4 egg whites instead)

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch-wide by 2-inch-high round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Grease paper rounds, dust pans with flour, and knock out excess. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 1/2 cups sugar together in large bowl. In 4-cup liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and yolks.
2. In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium-high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. With machine running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue to beat until stiff peaks just form, 30 to 60 seconds (whites should hold peak but mixture should appear moist). Transfer to bowl and set aside.
3. Add flour mixture to now-empty mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment. With mixer running at low speed, gradually pour in butter mixture and mix until almost incorporated (a few streaks of dry flour will remain), about 15 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape whisk and sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium-low speed and beat until smooth and fully incorporated, 10 to 15 seconds.
4. Using rubber spatula, stir 1/3 of whites into batter to lighten, then add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans. Lightly tap pans against counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any large air bubbles.
5. Bake until cake layers begin to pull away from sides of pans and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen cakes from sides of pans with small knife, then invert onto greased wire rack and peel off parchment. Invert cakes again and cool completely on rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

Easy Buttercream:
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch table salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
(Note: I suggest just use 1 1/2 or 2 cups depending on your sweetness preference)

Instructions
1. Stir the cream, vanilla, and salt together in a small bowl until the salt dissolves.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. Reduce the speed to medium-low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar, and beat until smooth, 2 to 5 minutes.
3. Beat in the cream mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.(If using a hand held mixer, beat for 8-10 minutes)

I also added canned strawberries as toppings and decoration. You may use blueberries or mangoes too. =)

Here is the buttercream icing in the process of being whipped :)

The very rustic looking cake, and the taste is yummy.
Not bad for my first attempt.

The layers of the cake turned out too thick.
I should have used used a wider pan.

Never again in 100 years

2012-08-10T10:54:00.003+08:00

Breathe first, then smile. Here we go.

I remember post-Ondoy that a real estate broker was trying to sell us a townhouse somewhere in Quezon City. Our first question was, how was the flooding in this property during the Ondoy calamity. The agent, brushed it of saying that according to "statistics" typhoons of Ondoy proportions will only happen once in a lifetime. Chances are it will never happen again in 100 years.

I dare not ask where the idiotic statistics came from, needless to say we turned our backs to that property and it turned out that the water was neck deep in that community during that typhoon.

Things should be getting back to normal now. I would just like to add how easily we tend to forget. I am not one of those doomsayers but open your eyes people! Our mother earth is a little kooky and we can never deny that climate change is for real. These torrential rains will happen again and it can happen sooner than we think.

Our neglect is the primary cause, therefore we are the ones that should offer solutions as well. Government people have to get up their butts and make our drainage systems more efficient. Those living beside the riverbanks need to be relocated. Bridges need to be repaired, walls of dams need to reinforced, roads needs to be safer (I mean open manhole?! Really? ). Yes, yes, don't blame everything on the government but the things I have just enumerated cannot be done by an ordinary citizen. People with positions of power: time to take your responsibilities seriously.

What about us, random citizen of the world? Okay, first help out. Everyone is in the position to help. Help one another. Help yourself, then help others, then go the extra mile.

Once, that's done say peace with mother nature and stop throwing garbage everywhere. Don't just shut up and go back to the daily grind. Make this calamity count by making a change in yourself. I am as guilty as everyone else is. But when I look at my son's eyes, I promised that I will never just forget all this ever happened.

If there's anything that I can do in my end to make this world a better place, I'd very well do it.

So should you.

For Eli before you turn two

2012-07-25T18:23:00.002+08:00

Dearest my boy,

Your mommy should have been blogging everyday. I could be documenting every mundane things that happen to us, or every petty emotions that would brew up each time. But instead I choose to savor every moment that I am with you right now. Your mommy is on house arrest for the time being. I am going through a very delicate pregnancy and this is our way of ensuring that your sibling Sammy stays strong and healthy while he/she is still inside mommy's womb.

Okay so back to you, our little man of the house. You are growing up so fast. You are beginning to exercise your independence in your own little way. You refuse to have your nose and ears cleaned unless it is by your dad. You have a unique sense of humor. You like to tease mom that you will throw things at the back of our headboard and you laugh each time I howl in an OA (means overacting - not sure if this acronym is still alive by the time you are old enough to understand this) manner. You think mommy is the funniest person on earth. You laugh at anything I do. You adore your daddy so much that you follow him around wherever he is.

You can make music too. You started humming the ABC months ago. Whenever you are playing by yourself, you like to hum songs you have created out of your heart. I want you to keep following these music, Eli. May you always have music in your heart, and be never afraid to dance to the beat of your own songs.

You like numbers and gadgets. We count your toes every evening to make sure they are still complete. You have made lots of friends already. There's Mika, Cody, Rapha, Miggy, ate Sam and Pat, and so many more. You make their day by just being you.

I have always prided you for being a behaved baby ever since you were born. You did not give mommy or daddy sleepless nights. One thing we are trying to solve though is your thumb sucking. Daddy had a brilliant idea of putting chilli oil on your thumb. Mommy hated the idea at first, but I was worried about your beautiful teeth so I relented. That method worked, and after two days we see you less and less doing that habit. Sometimes, I see you trying to sneak by putting your thumb in your mouth but the moment I see you, you make flying kisses instead (giving me a reason why your fingers were in your face in the first place - you're so smart).

You're favorite words are "tara" which means you want to play outside and "isa pa" which means you want more tickling. I will try teach you both English and Tagalog words. I do not want you growing up just well versed in the English language. Mommy after all was the Filipino editor when she was in high school.

Despite, your many adoring fans (us mainly and your grandparents) you remain grounded. You easily make friends but you are a bit shy at the beginning. May you never lose this quiet confidence that you have probably gotten from your dad. As for mom, I am happy already that you got my sense of humor.

You will turn out a great person I am sure. A great sibling, a great son, and someone who will be one of God's greatest champions. We whisper these words of prophesy to you every night and every mornings: you are a genius, a rock star, a God's champion, and you are loved by mom and dad.

All these words will hold true forever in my heart. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. Because of you love overflowed in our own little home. Thank you for coming into our lives.

Your greatest supporter,
Mommy Love

Mad Hungry's Cheesy Baked Lasagna

2012-06-30T22:12:00.001+08:00

I got the inspiration and recipe from watching Lucinda Quinn's Mad Hungry show at The Lifestyle Network. I love Mad Hungry because it is a cooking show by a mom who likes to take certain short-cuts to some of her recipes to make the preparation easier and more efficient without sacrificing flavor. Plus the dishes are simple and convertible enough for Filipino cooking.

I love preparing pasta dishes. Over the years, I have prepared so many of them. Except for lasagna. It has always kind off intimidated me, in a way. Last week our lovely neighbor prepared one, and was supposed to give me a portion but, alas we were out on a party. This made me salivate for lasagna all week, and around Thursday I stumbled upon Mad Hungry which featured lasagna. I took it as a sign from the cosmos that I should prepare lasagna this weekend. Hehe. #palusotlang

It is so easy to prepare. Believe me. Being a lazy mama, I think this dish is so convenient that next time we're having guests over I am preparing this one again. And it's super sumptuous too. Our guts had no more space for dessert after eating it (now, that's a first).

So enough of my rambling and here are the steps, slightly modified by me. If you want to see the original recipe that inspired me click here.

What you need:

1 pound lasagna noodles or packaged precooked lasagna noodles
4 garlic sausages
1 large egg
1 pound ricotta cheese
1/2 cut grated cheddar cheese (Note: Luncida recommends pecorino or parmesan since I want to be more practical I substituted good old cheddar it was yummy just the same)
5 cups Basic Italian Tomato Sauce (I made this on my own, see instructions below)
1 pound mozzarella cheese
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
for the tomato sauce: whole peeled tomato, basil, butter (optional) salt and pepper

What you need to do:

Basic Italian Tomato Sauce:
1.Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Swirl around the olive oil to coat the pan, and when the oil is hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly for 30 seconds, just long enough to release the garlic's fragrance and transform it slightly from its raw state. Don't cook it to golden.
2. Raise the heat to high and stir in the tomatoes and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the basil sprig, if using. Remove the basil before serving and swirl in the butter, if using.

Lasagna
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and a generous pinch of salt and cook for half as long as the package suggests. Drain and float in cold water. (Skip this step if noodles are precooked.) -> I used San Remo pre-cooked lasagna so preparation was made even easier.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, fry the sausage links until cooked through, about 10 minutes. With kitchen scissors, cut the sausage into disks in the pan and continue to fry over low heat until the cut surfaces are crispy, about 20 minutes. Drain off the fat.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the egg, ricotta, and 1/2 cup of cheddar.
4. To assemble the lasagna, spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Overlap one third of the noodles atop the sauce to cover the pan bottom. Spread all the cooked sausage over the noodles and spoon over another cup of sauce. Lay down the second third of noodles. Evenly dollop all the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles and flatten with the spoon to make an even layer. Top with the remaining noodles to completely cover the cheese. Pour over 1 1/2 to 2 cups sauce to cover. Evenly lay all the mozzarella slices on top. Drizzle with olive oil.
5. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes, or until the lasagna is bubbling all over and lightly golden on top. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. (Let is set, patience is a virtue mga muthers!) =)

Pictures to show you:

My raw ingredients

Osterized whole peeled tomatoes with basil

Ricotta and grated cheddar with egg

The first layer of lasagna, brown garlic sausages

Topped with mozzarela cheese

Finished product

Dinner is served!

Where Have I Been?

2012-06-29T20:20:00.001+08:00

I mean the first question that comes to mind is who cares? But I do have two faithful readers. Hubby and my little sis. Ha!

So the question is valid if you ask me. Yes, yes. I have been MIB (Missing In Blogging) action. Truth be told, it's not for lack of material. I have been taking snaps of random things that have been happening to me but I always end up... asleep.

My! This baby has made me so lazy to even get up and face my laptop. I know that's a lame excuse of pregnant blogger. This pregnancy has been so fuzz-free compared to the rollercoaster first trimester of our first baby. The first one had all the works. Dizzy spells, headaches, vomiting, weird food aversions, painful contractions, etc. This one, aside from the occasional headache, one time painful contraction, everything else has been rosy.

But the baby did make me sleepy all the time. I have this debate in my head all the time. Hey cool movie in HBO right now vs. sleeping. Eating out with hubby vs. sleeping. Walking around our community vs. sleeping. Seeing old friends vs. sleeping. Blogging vs. sleeping. So on. Guess which side always win? Pretty obvious no?

So, this post is sort of my soft introduction to get back into blogging. Frankly, I blog for me more than anything else. I started it because when I became a mom I was flooded with all this emotions that were so foreign, and I cannot even contain. So I said I just have to share it lest I burst! Hence, 90% of this blog being about how much I am in love with my family and my son. I was thinking before, it would have been cool to have documented my pregnancy as well.

Now, I am given a second chance. Being pregnant is the weirdest, happiest, scariest, and the most vulnerable experience a woman could undergo. Being able to see my thoughts be formed into words while going through that entire process again would be awesome. For me at least.

The process of writing is always personal more so if one will talk about one's journey to motherhood. Pregnancy, I should say is something only person who is undergoing it can understand. I was scared for the entire 9 months that I was pregnant before. I am still scared every minute right now. It's like my own beating heart doesn't matter much. The beating of the life inside me matters more. I have come to terms that during these months my body is not entirely my own. That primarily it's for our baby. And I give it wholeheartedly.

I have to start writing more. This feels good. You'll hear from me you'll see.

Bicol Express for the Grateful

2012-05-18T10:35:00.000+08:00

I am trying to condense the fact that I am super grateful these past few days and a recipe blog post, hence the title. :)

Things I am mega-super-duper grateful for:

1) We have been yaya-less (ate Conching is on 10-day annual leave) going 6 days now. Life is very busy with lots of manual labor but it just gotten extra sweet because I got to spend all these time exclusively with my son.

2) MOMS. I am super grateful for my mommy. She's lovely, sweet, funny, cooks very well, and is a lot like me! Thank you mommy for being a great example on how a great mom should be. And also to my second mom. Mommy Gay, you raised an awesome son. Thank you for loving me and Elijah dearly like your very own.

3) I can finally tick it off my bucket list: Be featured in a newspaper. Well, it was not exactly a full-on-feature. There were four of us that Marlet interviewed. The article title is "Four Young Moms Find Fulfillment at Home and at the Office." This was published in the lifestyle section during Philippine Daily Inquirer's Mother Days special last Sunday. So bonggels right?

4) I lost our iPad. And realized just how much hubby loves me (read it here). I also learned my lesson to be more mindful of the items I bring.

5) We lost our iPad and found it again. Thanks to a kind soul named: John Bill Chua. He e-mailed us the same day he found the iPad with his contact details and returned it the day after. Got so inspired by his niceness and honesty.

6) Oh, and have I told you? We are having baby number 2! Yes, Eli will be a kuya already. JP was giddy with happiness. I was, umm... speechless. Hehe.

Anyway to my second topic. I cooked Bicol Express for a good friend. Michelle is my mentor, confidante, soundboard and all around LDBFFL (long-distance-best-friend-for-life).

I love her. So when she told she wants me to cook Bicol express before she goes back to Bangalore (India) -- her flight was later that afternoon, I happily obliged. Woke up very early that day to buy the freshest ingredients from the wet market (of course, coconuts are sweeter if the milk is extracted that very same day). I have to warn you, this is so yummy. Make sure you have lots of rice.

What you need:
3 big coconuts (will produce 5 -6 glasses of coconut milk)
1 kilo pork, cut into strips (choose the kasim part so it's tender)
1 small bottle of shrimp paste
1 tbsp garlic, minced
6 pieces Thai chili pepper (siling labuyo)
3 cups long chili or jalapeno peppers (siling green)
½ cup ginger, grated
1 large onion, cubed
2 long chili pepper
2 tsp cooking oil
salt and pepper

What you need to do:
1. In a bowl of water with salt, soak chili peppers for 30 minutes then rinse and strain.
2. Sauté the garlic, onion, and ginger
3. Add the pork and continue cooking for 5 to 7 minutes
4. Place the shrimp paste in and cook for 5 minutes
5. Add the Thai and long hot pepper followed by the coconut milk
6. Mix all the ingredients well and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes
7. Add salt and pepper to taste

Pictures to show you:

Some of the ingredients:
grated ginger, onion, garlic and two kinds of peppers

Porkies simmering happily in the pan

Close shot of the finished product

What it looked like from afar

Our simple table setting.
Lots of rice is a must!

What we had for dessert.
Sinful.

Family picture

Since we live in a condo and technically we only have one floor
Eli was so excited when he saw the stairs.

So excited and happy.

He really reminds me of my husband.

Try the recipe out.

Also, try to be a little grateful for almost everything. =)

The World's Best Husband

2012-05-14T23:40:00.000+08:00

I promise to keep this short. I just want to tell you and the rest of the world that I have the world's best husband.

Why make such declaration? What if you don't agree? This is me you see, and what I feel and believe is the truth for me. Therefore, he is the one. The best husband. There is.

Who looses a bulky Ipad2? No one right? Except when you are as, hmm.. how shall I put this mildly... dumb and careless like me. I hate myself. You should have seen me in the car sulking, hating every bit of me. Until now I am suffering.

Throughout this agony hubby was quiet. Pensive even. I was ranting and spilling all my guts out. I was toxic.

Then after he heard me whine, he said:

The husband: Let it go Love.

Me: That's it? Hate me please? I can't stand it.

The husband: This is a lesson learned for you. It's going to prevent you from loosing more valuable stuff in the future because now you know. And now, I can even think of so many reasons why it is a blessing that "we" lost the Ipad. For one, I will be less distracted (because of the games) so now I can spend more time playing with Eli.

Me: I am in anguish babe. Please hate me a little.

The husband: I can't hate you so let it go.

First of all, he said "we" when it was all completely my fault. Second, you should know that this is not the first time I lost something and yet he didn't reiterate that.

Now, you know (just from reading this blog) that I am bad at so many things. I am a worry wart. I talk way too much. I over analyze everything. I am tactless. And I loose so many freaking items (translation: burara).

How a person can love me in spite of all these is a mystery to me.

Bee, I love you, thank you for completely accepting me flaws and all. I promise I have learned my lesson.

PS: Real men change diapers. And that's you. That's why I am very proud of you. And sorry for everything.

Thomson Reuters Summer Outing 2012: Palm Beach

2012-05-08T21:00:00.001+08:00

Hello mga muthers, baklang muthers (like me) and mga bekkis. Your resident muther has been neglecting this blog again.

Sunod sunod lang my out of town trips. Hee hee feeling artista. Not really yah know.

Isa lang masasabi ko, ang itim ko na (kelan ba hindi?!). And this is just the beginning, I have 6 more out of town trips lined up. Ako na right?! Ako na already.

Hindi ako mayaman ha. I just have a lot of friends. Hee hee. Anyway, these trips are part of my 2012 blessings. And there's more to come I bet. International tours soon. With God's grace it will happen. Yihee. Thank you na Lord, in advance. =)

So, I went to Davao last week (check it here). This week my company went to Laiya, Batangas.

Palm Beach is a beautiful resort. In pictures it is. In reality you need aqua shoes. One little rock decided to reside sa aking talampakan. End result, madaling araw na self operation, with hubby holding flash light, me holding a nipper and a lot of cursing and howls involved (by me). You get the picture.

The staff are nice. And they have nice facilities. I loved the jacuzzi and infinity pool.

Anyway, to say that I enjoyed myself is an understatement. So shala talaga my company. Very sushal and the food felt like overflowing. Although since punong abala ako that day, I didn't get to take as much pictures so I made nakaw some of the pictures from my good friends Chris and Jenny.

Okay here they go. Sorry if the pictures are in a weird order ha. I didn't have the chance to re-arrange them anymore. (read: tamad)

Ang aming bus ay may chadelier sa loob.
Anong masasabi mo? Hehe

Ang baklang muther feeling artista.

I took a picture of other people taking pictures =)

Girls making chicka inside our cabana

Taray ng aming beach body competition.
In fairness lahat sila may K.

Nag kayak ako mga friends. #sowhat

Here's what the resort looked like from above.

The beach looking shala.

The beach! I love you beach!

Dito ako nasalubsob ng coral sa aking talampakan.
Again #sowhat

I love you pool!
I never wanted to leave.

Our lootbag includes t-shirt and towel with our company logo.
Sushal no?

The stage set up

Andaming food promise.
Sira ang kinabukasan ng diet.

I call this super BICO.
Ang sarap!

My team! We are the best!!!
We bagged the championship prize of P10,000.
In fairness pinaka konti kami but we were the most competitive kasi.

Kudos to my company, the committee, and everyone who participated in the event. Everyone went home a winner I am sure. :)

Charbert and Reign

2012-05-04T08:27:00.000+08:00

Chartbert and Reign they just click. You can see when they are together their love tank is full. When I look at them I just can't help but smile. Because they are happy.

I am saying this in a totally unbiased way (yes kahit inaanak ko pa sila sa kasal).

It was a truly lovely wedding. Simple, elegant, and it was heartfelt.

I will post pictures here to give you an idea how lovely that day was.

This was during the wedding rites.
Everything is so white. I love.

See how elegant the white feathers thingy are?

This is the principal sponsors shot.
See me and hubby? Felt na felt!

Since sundalo ang kinasal kailangan one-man carry palabas ng church.
Sweet.

Brave men in white.

Here we are outside the church.
We were given one balloon each.

The couple kiss before the release of balloons.

Yellow balloons. Green tree. Blue colors.
Who doesn't love colors?

There was a children's corner.
They have these activity books for kids.
And also small trinkets of what-nots that the kids can play with.
How thoughtful.

Ang ninong.

Madame butterfly. #feeling

I cannot help gushing on how beautifully the place was styled.

See diba it is nice?

Couple's first dance is always my favorite part of the reception.
That and the eating part. Hehehe.

Table setting.

Shala ng wine parade.
Sarap pala ng Chamdor.
Iinom kame ni hubby neto.
Tag-isang bote.

This naman is one of my most favorite shot.
The newlyweds are watching their photo montage.
The groom cried. It was a really sweet moment.

Dove release.
Lekat na dove yan muntik pang dumerecho sa fez ko.

Cupcakes. Cutie patootie.

The newlyweds with us next day.
Shot on location in Samal islands, Davao.

Congratulations Charbert and Reign.

May God grant you many, many years of bliss.

Read the rest of our Davao adventure here. =)

Davao, Serendipity, Laughter, Love

2012-05-01T16:39:00.004+08:00

For lack of any creative thought process I just decided to use random words as a title to this post.

My head is still spinning. Legs are still jelly. Tummy still full of tuna. And my heart is full of love.

I loved this weekend at Davao. It was so epic that things just aligned themselves like magic. Like I am in a reality show or something. Like I feel words are not enough. But I will try my best. And I will try to be brief. I will post a separate entry for the wedding itself (which was very lovely, by the way). Because it definitely deserves just that.

Okay so first things first, we were late during check-in by freaking three minutes! Sorry for the language. I wasn't really mad when that happened. Hubby thought our flight was 30 minutes later. These things happen. The H felt really guilty about it. And seeing him sad like that vanishes all my inis away.

Yaya started throwing up like there's no tomorrow. She didn't stop until the next morning. Wowa naman. I made sure she stayed hydrated and gave her isang baldeng bonamin.

So we booked the next flight which was 10 hours later! Good bye city tour, Eden Nature Park. Even the Philippine eagle was already expecting me. Also I was supposed to meet tita Punay (mommy of my good friend). God had other plans I guess. So we went with the flow.

Our flight was moved to 6:50pm. Flight got delayed by 2 hours. What the hey! Our co-passengers were harassing the front desk representatives already, I decided to go to the higher management. Long story short, they gave us a refund! Hubby said, he really likes me. Haha.

Daddy and Eli waiting for our luggage

Arrived in Davao at midnight. Ordered the very vapid and unhealthy McDonalds meal.

I can still feel the chicken nuggets in my thighs

Morning came. Orchid and I decided to explore our happy place, palenke (wet market).

We rode "Kaputian" taxi, which parang nakaka-sakit dahil alam naman namin hindi kami "kaputian". Haha.

Eto kami hindi "kaputian" fine.

We went to Bankerohan Plaza. Asked for free taste na sa dami ay pang himagas na. Harassed tita seller to give us libreng pomelo and mangosteen.

We realized it was already three hours before the wedding ceremony and we still do not have a make-up artist. So we asked around. My gulay tinuro kami sa kaloob-looban ng palenke. Parlor only had manicurist and "mangkukulot". Hello pagoda cold wave lotion. I told Orchid, di ko bet.

So we changed strategies and asked for a "Beautician", tinuro kami sa Barber shop. Nakanang!

Just when we are loosing hope already may nakasalubong kaming dalawang beks (short of "bekki" "bakla" "gaylalu"). Orchid asked: "Day, do you make-up?". I followed-up, "marunong kayong mag suklay ng magulong buhok?". Sabi nila "sure ma'am!". Whoah. Talk about serendipity. They just came from a wedding where they did all the make up for the bride and entourage of 18! Pakak sa bannga mga ateh!

Sabi namin, o sumama na kayo samin. You need to beautify us! Imagine us stinky, sweaty, looking like war veterans parang mahihirapan sina ate.

Ang ending teh! Winner muk-ap. Pang Oscars. No wait, MMFF lang pala. Choz! One of the best risks we took during the day.

They turned Orchid into Anne Curtezz. While me ang peg, ninang-mudrabells-sushaling-mayomon! Hehehe.

Dress from my mudra's closet of course.

Ayan na, grand entrance na kami. So many soldiers in white uniform I love!

Winner kayo inaanak!
(Yes, ninang na ko. I am old.)

Soldiers

Then off to reception (will expound on another post). Then me and hubby with the rest of our friends decided to explore Davao at night. Went to Jack's Ridge, which closes early pala. Drank some really strong gourmet coffee. We wanted to sing our hearts out at Tapas Bar, but kuya na may hawak ng microphone was still busy singing "25 minutes" for the nth time. For the fear na mabaril kame ni kuya if we dare to interrupt him, we decided to go to another place.

We went to a place called "Tourist" and all we can hear are tugs-tugs-tugs (repeat 50x). We were not in the mood for hard core party so we decided to look for another place.

Went to the aptly named Barbeque Boss. Kumain ng isang baldeng pork and gizzard barbeque. One big slab of tuna belly. One pitcher of blue margarita. Our waiter's name was "Rechard". Then we're done for the night.

Hit the sack then the bride woke me up early morning because we were going to Samal island. We traveled by land and sea. Saw my friend who was there for a toastmasters event. Ate crispy pata, masarap na bihon, pakbet, and crispy chicken downed with cold beer plus sweet corn ice cream for dessert.

Eli was not too fond of the sea. Or the water. Or the air near the water. So after like 15 minutes of wadding, we're out.

I went back to my favorite place Bankerohan and hoarded tuna.

Met with tito Ephraim at the airport and received another box of pomelo.

Prayed the rosary as the plane took off. Arrived home safely and left a little bit of my heart in Davao.

We are definitely going back.

Tell me now, how could I not love my life.? =)

Celebrity Nails

2012-04-26T20:29:00.007+08:00

I love Celebrity Nails Salon Home Service Spa. That's it period. End of blog post.

Nah. Just a little kwento promise. Sometimes I feel guilty going to the salon / spa because that's again time away from my baby boy.

Through the wonders of internet and automobiles (?) hee hee home service spa was born. One such trusted brand is Celebrity nails. They have 11 franchises. The ladies who go to your home are well trained, courteous, and you don't get a feeling na minamadali nila yung service.

Price of course is a major consideration for a ~~stingy~~ practical mom like me. Their prices are cheaper than some of the nail salons in the malls (but better service if you ask me) and they use imported brands for their polish too (Orly, OPI, Tony Molly and Essie -- sushal right?).

You can check their website for the services they offer. So far I have tried their mani-pedi, foot spa sa face (joke), foot spa sa foot (charoz), foot reflexology, head and shoulder massage, and their facial with diamond peel.

Summer promos include Marie Claire package that offers 5 services for only P1,000. Yan ang value for money. They also have spa party packages. Great idea for those who want to have a more intimate celebration with your best set of girl friends.

Just play some Enya songs in the background. Spray some peppermint on the pillow. Blast the air-conditioning to maximum. There you have it. Instant spa at your very own room. Minus the waiting for your turn and curious strangers making gaya your choice of nail polish. Haha. #babaw

Anyhoo, here a some ebidensya (read: pictures). I've had them over the house 3 times in the last 8 or so weeks.

Here's their set up of their mat. Pink on pink.
See the tampipi sa gilid over there?
What you don't know what tampipi is? Google it!

Pebbles! In fairness effort magdala ng bato. Aminin.

My boy usually picks my nail polish at random.
One particular polish he chose looked like the skin color of a zombie.
Grayish green.
(Yung zombies sa Plants vs. Zombie hee hee.)
I went with it anyway.

Here's him finally deciding on the polish he likes.

This was me having facial.

Me looking very stressed here.

Parang hospital exquiment lang.
This is used for their diamond peel.

Sorry I do not have a clearer picture of their finished product.
But it's a great a idea to pamper yourself from home don't you think? =)

I usually call their central hotline: 502.7332 or 0917.812.0479. You may check the rest of their information here.

Pork Stir-Fry

2012-04-23T17:53:00.001+08:00

Found this recipe in Yummy Menu for a Month booklet. I had no idea what to cook and I was having around 9 people for dinner. I grabbed the copy of the recipe book and chose the menu with the simplest ingredients because I had only 45 minutes until my guests arrive.

End result: they loved it. I cooked this 3 weeks back and we are having this again tonight.

What you need:
1 kilo pork strip (I used pork kasim because it is tender)
8 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons honey (use the pure ones)
3 - 4 cloves of garlic
2 cups of sliced Baguio beans
2 packs of frozen mix vegetables
2 - 3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 large bell peppers cut into strips
1 big can of button mushroom
2 - 3 pinch of cayenne pepper (I added this for the additional omph)

What you need to do:
1. Combine soy sauce, honey, and garlic. Add pork strips and marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. (I added cayenne pepper because hubby wants everything spicy.)

2. Cook the beans in salted boiling water until crisp tender, about 2 minutes. Add the frozen vegetable and cook for another minute. Drain.

3. Heat oil in a wok (note from me: the older the wok the better hehe) and stir fry the pork over high heat (ala Iron chef). Add bell peppers and mushrooms. Lower the heat and add the pork marinade. Add the vegetables and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Season to taste as needed. (I used salt, pepper, a dash of Worcester sauce and paprika as seasonings.)

Another tip: if you want the stir-fry to be more Chinese food tasting use sesame oil to stir-fry the meat instead of olive oil.

I love simple recipes. Ingredients are simple. Process is simple as well. Takes about 20 minutes cooking only.

Pictures!

Lovely colors after blanching.

Pork stir-fry

Seasons of Love

2012-04-19T18:35:00.002+08:00

I have never been good with goodbyes. Beginnings I love. Endings I tend to dread.

But another season will soon come to pass.

Am I ready? No one is ever ready I guess. I am the yellowest person there is. I have been crying everyday when I came to terms where my heart truly is.

But is it easy? Definitely not. So I wish there was no need for goodbyes ever.

Just hello. And I will definitely see you soon. Or thank you's. Thank you's are the best.

Because each one, in one way or another has taught us a lesson or two. Has put a smile on our faces one time or another. Has caused us to see beauty both obvious and abstract.

So maybe this is not a chapter that I am closing. Maybe it is just a prologue to a beautiful story still being spun. With characters still being added not replaced.

I have been teary eyed a lot lately. I heard this song and I couldn't believe a new season is about to start soon.

Bittersweet.

Drama at Cuts 4 Tots

2012-04-18T20:08:00.001+08:00

Hi! *waving madly*

I am Elijah! I am a year old.

I am back once again. Hello there! You might remember me as my mama's very first guest blogger? I blogged about my love for balls and shooting here.

I want to tell you about the day I bawled my eyes out at Cuts 4 Tots. Normally, I am a very brave and behave boy. My mama is very proud that I do not cry a lot. This was my third hair cut already. During my first two encounter with the barber I was cool as a celery (or is it cucumber? or watermelon?). Or whatever veggie is applicable to descibe a very calm baby.

That's me. I was so cool, calm and collected. I don't know about this third visit. Maybe I wasn't in the mood. Maybe my mama woke me up at a bad time. Maybe it was because of the other kid. Maybe just maybe.

But I did it. I cried my heart out. Looking back, I don't know why I cried so much. I hope next time I am in a much better mood so I do not give kuya barber a hard time.

Let me show yah! Please try not to laugh. I am embarassed already as it is.

It started when daddy tried puting me on the chair that looks like a car.
Or is this a car that's actually a chair? I am not sure I am confused.

I asked (in my mind): "What's happening here?"

When I realized what was about to happen, I just had to get outa' there!

Please dad?! Get me outa' here!!!?!!

Really dad? Is this really happening?

But I am so adorable when my hair is long.
Please make it stay that way forever.

Awww! I hated it.

Even ate Conching knows my pain!

Please kuya barber have pity on me and stop snipping!

I cannot look!

Why are you guys doing this to me?!

Mama tried to calm me down using bubbles!

Dad gave me a noisy toy too.

It was interesting but only for a second.

Until I remembered someone is snipping my hair!

And then all of a sudden it was over.
Then, I couldn't remember why I was even crying in the first place!
Boy! I was in a weird mood that day. Tee hee.

We went to church after.
I was so tired that I slept through the entire service.

It was a nice experience even though I was crying a lot. My dad and mom said that they are proud of me still. =)

Till my next blog entry. In the mean time please continue showing your love for my mama's blog by visiting her blog everyday.

Please. Thank you. Till next time.

How was your weekend?

2012-04-16T22:29:00.003+08:00

It all started with an hour long travel in the very traffic EDSA.

First was dinner at Sumo Sam. I had buttery salmon and fresh tasting tuna sushi. I didn't feel full yet so I ordered extra kani salad, which I only managed to finish a quarter of it (sorry Louie! libre mo pa naman to'.).

Then, of course we just had to have coffee. Originally we wanted to go to a tea place (just because this is uso these days). No success finding one, so we went to the most overrated hang-out place (as my husband calls it), Starbucks. There we decided to pass time arguing. Just like the old times. Oh there's a better word for it -- debate. Battle of the minds. So sexy. And nerdy! One of my friends happened to be a Grand champion toastmasters.

So we had to interpret lots of weird Swahilian proverbs. Sample: "When the crocodile jumps around he ends up by receiving the spear." Then it just became plain silly when I decided to form my own club to rival the toastmasters. Imma' calling it Wafflemasters (how original!). Parang lasing lang. We get our cheap fun out of babaw things like these.

Was supposed to follow to my officemates drinking session somewhere in the Fort, but I was not in the mood to brave EDSA anymore.

Saturday morning was spent playing with my son and bribing him to eat. There's a whole lot of mess involved whenever he eats but the fun of the process makes all the cleaning after worth it.

Then I went to Crossing's grocery to buy ingredients for chilli con carne. I spent lunch at my officemate's cool bachelor pad. His condo on the 18th floor is at the heart of Makati, literally in the middle of everything. How sushal!

We met at his pad, the girls cooked while the boys watched MTV Jackass while drinking beer. How stereotypical right? We ate roasted chicken, ginataang langka with dilis, cucumber salad, and my chilli dog. Desert was mangoes and Tanduay ice. Burp.

Then there was a team's basketball tournament championship to watch. They all went and watched. Hubby and I decided to walk a few blocks and meet up with my sister to show support on her current endeavor. I had an interesting conversation with a stranger while I waited for my sister.

We went back to the condo but the game was not yet finished so hubby and I decided to wait at 7-11, where I bought the overpriced Magnum. I took a few bites and vowed to walk a mile to burn the fat. #wishkolang

Then it was poker time back at the bachelor's pad. I discovered that I do have a poker face! It was fun. Beer, cards, Jackass, and laughter.

Then it was time to crash a Bachelor's party. We went to the-place-that-must-not-be-named. Got to see things I will never un-see anymore. Husband kept asking me during the entire "performance" on what my thoughts are. Girls are pretty and how do they address the attrition rate at places like those? Mundane things.

Morning once again came, and Eli had a playdate with one of my officemate's son. They had a whole chest of toys and they were fighting over a small green car. How cute. Boys. We served them freshly cooked pancit canton with sotanghon. Our first attempt to cook one and it was a success!

Then it was lunch with the in-laws. Inihaw na tilapia, binagoongang liempo, hot rice plus putong pula.

Afterwards, we heard Mass at the Shrine of the Divine Mercy. It was their feast day.

We then went to my parents home to play and eat kwek-kwek for merienda. Dinner came so we again ate. Stir fried tofu with vegetables, very spicy higado, crispy pata and hot rice.

We went home and watched Bb. Pilipinas.

Life's good.

Classic Carbonara recipe

2012-04-01T10:37:00.001+08:00

Hi! And you thought I would go into another one of those blogging break spells noh? Nah, just got busy these past few days.

Busy with my first ever corporate Sugafree shoes bazaar. Busy healing from my recent operation. Busy doing nothing. Busy with my fears. Busy thinking about the scary but wonderful changes that will happen real soon. And lastly, just busy praying a lot because I want God to take away my fear of changes.

Oh well, did that make sense to you? I bet my entire Louis Vuitton collection (which I do not have by the way --- yet! choz.) that it didn't. Hehe.

I've said it so many times that when I am happy I cook. When I am stressed I cook. When I am confused I cook. At any state of my id I like to cook.

So cook, I did yesterday. I prepared mustard-buttered breaded pork chops (will tell you about it too) paired with classic carbonara.

I have two carbonara recipes. The first one I've been making since I was innocent (read: highschool) is a filipinized carbonara (will post recipe of that soon). Filipinized because it has cream, bell peppers, onions, mushroom, etc. The Italian forefathers will roll over their grave if they had known what we've turned their carbona into. Hehe. It is still carbonara because well... it has bacon.

Anyway, what I am sharing with you today is the classic carbonara recipe. It has only 4 major ingredients apart from salt and pepper. And yes, if you have never cooked anything in your life, I would say this is a good dish to start with. This dish is so subtle, yummy and classy at the same time.

It is so easy that the sauce is no cook! How can you beat that?

So end with the yakking and let's start with the cooking shall we?

What you need:
•250g picnic bacon cut into small strips
•4 fresh egg yolks (use only very fresh eggs)
•150g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
•500g pasta (I suggest Angel hair or spaghetti)

What you need to do:
1.Cook your pasta as per the packet instructions. If you are using Angel hair pasta (as I did) cooking will just be quick 4 - 5 mins while spaghetti usually takes about 7 - 8 minutes. (Important tip: salt the water as this is the only time you can put additional flavor to your pasta.)
2. Put the bacon in the pan (no need to put oil). Let the bacon render its own fat (as in lutuin sa sariling matika hehehe) and fry until it is browned but not too crisp. Set aside.
3.Place the egg yolks and cheese in a large serving bowl, together with a generous grinding of black pepper. Mix well with a fork.
4.Drain the pasta, put this in the pan where you crisped the bacon first.
5. Remove pasta and bacon from pan. Add immediately to the cheese and egg mixture.

So easy right? Anyway here are the pictures to guide you too. :)

All you need is just four ingredients.

Slice the bacon like so.
I bought a block of bacon instead of buying the strips.
(Tip: if you are using bacon as a cooking ingredient, it is
cheaper to buy it in block.)

Use fork to mix egg, cheese and pepper.

I incorporated the noodles in the pan where I fried my bacon
so it absorbs all the fatty flavors of the bacon.
(My mantra in cooking: more fat more fun!)

The heat from the pasta will cook the eggs
and turn it into a creamy sauce.

Here's what it looks like on the plate.

My satisfied and poging endorser: kuya Keithy!

Happy Palm Sunday friends. Always live your passions!