Monday Madness

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1. From beth:
What's the most unusual hobby you have? How did you get started with it?
I don't have any unusual hobby.

2. From briar:
How many different kinds of music do you listen to? Name a few favorites, if you please.
I love different kinds of music. My favorite singers are Julia Fordham and Everything But The Girl.

3. From iris:
Do you take advantage of the outdoor areas where you live? What's your favorite thing to do outside? What's your favorite local bird?
I love a good walk around the village. We have a spectacular view of Mt. Makiling. I enjoy spending time with my son at the park or at the playground.

Summer is already here and we're off to the beach this Wednesday!

I like king fishers. They are lovely birds. I always see one or two resting on our fence.

4. From kristy:
Children: Do you have any?
Yes, I have a 3-yr old son. His name is Yohan.

5. From amy:
What is your favorite part of spring?
We don't have spring here but I love the idea of wonderful flowers in bloom. Must be a wonderful sight.

Things I've Learned From Yohan

Yohan and I went to the playground earlier this afternoon. I wasn't able to bring my dog, Bruno with us because my finger still feels a little sore. The swelling has subsided but there is still a tinge of discomfort. Bruno was barking when Yohan and I went out of the house. He was probably telling us to take him along. Poor Bruno, I felt terrible leaving him behind. Jules gave him a walk several minutes later.

I took this photo while Yohan and I were on the seesaw. I love how it turned out. It was another wonderful afternoon.


Some things I've Learned From Yohan:

1. Playing make believe is fun.
2. Reading stories is exciting.
3. Praying together feels good.
4. A simple praise means so much.
5. Say "I love you" more often.
6. Say "thank you" as often as you can.
7. Always reply with "you're welcome."
8. Say sorry whenever you hurt someone.
9. It's okay to get dirty once in a while.
10. Hold hands while walking.
11. A kiss can somehow ease the pain.
12. Laughter is music to the ears.
13. A tight embrace brings much needed comfort.
14. Creativity can be expressed in so many ways.
15. A stain is not the end of the world.
16. You cannot always have everything.
17. Patience is very important.
18. Balance is the key.
19. Chocolate equals hyperactivity.
20. Blogging is not my number one priority.

Creativity Corner

Whenever we go to family gatherings, I always bring a bag filled with a few toys, books and art materials for Yohan. It helps pass the time and a useful 'boredom deterrent' as well.

These photos were taken at my mother-in-law's house several weeks ago. There was a party hosted for balikbayan (Filipinos living abroad on vacation) relatives.

As usual, I had my bag of props ready. When I noticed the kids running all over the place, I decided to call them to have a little fun art session. I would rather see them sitting down and doing some fun art than risk one of them getting hurt while running.

First, I put out some clay. Yohan and his cousins had fun using the clay molds I brought with me. When they were done with clay, I took out some paint, brushes and sketch pads. They enjoyed that one too. I even brought cellophane aprons to protect their clothes. My mom sent me a box of those disposable aprons and it's perfect for kids.

Jules referred to it as my creativity corner.

Pita Bread For Breakfast

Jules made some delicious pita bread today for breakfast. I thought of sharing the recipe with you.

Ingredients:
medium sized pita bread
grated quickmelt cheese
thinly sliced fresh tomatoes
thinly sliced cooked macao sausages (from Dayrit's)
sliced bellpeppers
onions (optional)
salt and pepper

Jules' Procedure:
1. Get one pita bread. Put grated cheese, bellpepper, tomatoes and macao on one side. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Cover it using another pita bread.
3. Put on pre-heated, non-stick pan until one side is lightly golden brown.
4. Turn the other side and do the same.
5. Press pita bread using a fork or a spatula.
6. Remove from pan when both sides are lightly golden brown.
7. Cut into four pieces and serve immediately.

Protect The Gentle Hearts

Protect The Gentle Hearts

Born innocent.
Sweet and gentle.
Free from malice.
A pureness of heart.

A curious nature.
So eager to learn.
An open mind.
A trusting heart.

Ventures into the world.
So young.
So vulnerable.
Easily influenced.

Keep a close eye.
Supervise and observe.
Guide the innocent.
Shield from harm.

~ Rachel~

I wrote this simple poem as my own little way of supporting the noble cause of safeguarding the web for children. I first read about it at Yvonne Russel's site called Grow Your Writing Business. I agree with her that children are susceptible to exposure to pornography on the internet. It's a disturbing and frightening reality. Innocent children are lured into sites containing pornographic and dangerous content.

Yvonne has led me to this open letter by Mihaela Lica at Blogger Power. This open letter is a request to all the “adult site” webmasters to "require a password-protected login before allowing even free access to explicit adult content ... read more"

I believe that it's a noteworthy campaign and I hope that all the good efforts put into it will bring positive results.

Yvonne has led me to the posts of other bloggers supporting the cause of safeguarding the web for children:

Jose of Tried It Myself
Laura Spencer of Writing Thoughts
Paula of Paula Mooney

To know more about it, you may visit the sites mentioned. I support their passionate insights and I hope that you can take time and look into it yourself. Thank you.

Ouch is An Understatement

I was with my son, Yohan and my pet labrador, Bruno at the playground yesterday. I was holding Bruno's leash on one hand while sitting on the bench. I was happily watching Yohan playing when suddenly Bruno dragged me. He saw a cat and got excited. Bruno is quite a big dog and he is very strong! I'm thankful that I didn't land on my face when he dragged me across the street. I wished that stray cat didn't turn up all of a sudden. As a result, one of my fingers got entangled in Bruno's leash. Ouch! I didn't blame Bruno. I should have been more alert knowing there were stray cats in the area. But my poor finger! My third finger on my right hand is swollen ... an angry red and it hurts while I type. But I just couldn't stay away from my computer so I'm typing slower than usual. Life!

updated (11:28 pm): Original title: I Blame It On the Stray Cat!
I decided to change the title after I received a comment from Gattina. She's a nice lady and has a passion for cats. She's right, that cat was just minding his own business. I just feel quite sore and a little cranky so I thought of pointing my finger at that innocent passerby who made Bruno go crazy.

Photo Hunt :: Salty

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The white ones are regular eggs while the red ones are called Salted Eggs, or locally known as Itlog na Maalat or Itlog na Pula ("pula" is red in english). Salted eggs are one of the traditional delicacies in the Philippines.

How to make your own Salted Eggs:

1. Choose fresh eggs and wash them.
2. Immersed the eggs in super-saturated solution of salt in a wide-mouth jar. Put the eggs one at a time and make sure not to crack the shell. For every 2 gallons of water (tap water, not distilled) you will need 1 lb. of coarse table salt. Mix together and stir solution until most of the salt granules are dissolved. Add water gradually.
3. Cover the jar with the lid and leave the eggs for a period of at least three weeks to thirty days in room temperature.
4. After the said period, the eggs are then removed from the salt solution and boiled.
5. The salted eggs sold in the market are usually dyed red to distinguish them from ordinary eggs.

Salted eggs are often cut into small pieces and mixed with sliced tomatoes and served like a salad. I personally like eating it with fried fish or grilled fish or meat.

Friday's Feast #12

Join the feast here.

Feast One Hundred & Thirty Two

Appetizer
What does the color pink make you think of?
I love pink. It makes me feel sweet, young and carefree. It reminds me of everything sweet.

Soup
Name something you thought you had lost, but later found.
I thought I lost my wedding ring when I went on vacation with my friends. It somehow slipped off my finger while I was fixing my baggage. I thought I lost it when we were out swimming. I found it the day before our flight back home and we celebrated that night at a nice bar by the beach ... lots of frozen margaritas. :)

Salad
In 3 words, describe this past week.
Surprising, Inspiring, Rewarding

Main Course
What are you obsessed with?
I'm not sure if you can call it an obsession but I love bags. If I win the lottery, the first thing I'll do is go on a bag shopping spree. :)

Dessert
What kind of perfume or cologne do you like to wear?
I like a variety of fragrances as you can see ...