Happy New Year 2013!

As usual, time flies. Flitting as some would love to say.  Indeed, 2012 despite all the challenges we underwent or faced, passed almost unnoticed. Ahead of us is the year of the snake. Again, contrary to the pessimist people, we welcome the year with hope that it will be a good year for all of us. 

For my family, this is a significant year because my kids are mid way in their college studies. We have  so many plans to make for the future of the kids and we are not alone planning all this stuff as they are part of the plans. 

So again goodluck and may the year 2013 bring us more blessings.

Happy Graduation

My two kids (our young ladies), sophia and alexandria  finally finished highschool from the Holy Cross Academy of Sasa,Davao City(mindanao. as parent This is our initial achievement and theirs as well as the graduates that is after four years of grueling school classes and activities honing them into what they are now- ready to take take the next level . Thanks to the HCAS and their teachers who molded our kids and made them  ready for the next phase of their self-development.

But as we celebrate it with a smile, as parents we feel we are facing another daunting task also --- that challenge is of course sending them to college  which is not  an easy task well, financially speaking and in our case. That said, we really have to double our efforts. Wish us luck. :-)

Photos

Feathery Visitor

The other day, I was surprised to see a bird locally known as Piruk-Piruk (Yellow-Wattled Bulbul?) which is endemic in the region and a favorite targets of sling-toting kids in the neighborhood. Perhaps, the birdie was busy picking up "mansanitas(The aratiles fruit is known in other countries as Jamaican cherry, Panama berry, Singapore cherry, bolaina yamanaza, cacaniqua, capulín blanco, nigua, niguito, memizo, or memiso. In certain areas of the Philippines, these little red fruits are called manzanitas (“small apples”), also spelled mansanitas or manchanitas)." outside when it was attacked by an aggressive fellow birdie. As it panicked, the bird took a wrong lane towards the open door of my working area. And in a sec, it collided with the glass window header at my back that caused it to crash landing. I heard the solid sound of a thud. I picked up the poor birdie and let it regain energy from the mishap probably from minor injury it got from the accident. I did not find its black box though. :-)


It took the birdie about 5 minutes before it finally regained power under its wings and flew out again.

Paosio

I'm joking. It's siopao not paosio. It all started with a question: what is the reverse of "siopao"? For the slow thinker, the answer would be "paosio"! LOL. The answer is "paper" because siopao sets on a a piece of paper or wax paper. I like to cook for my kids. The latest is siopao. Yes I just learned recently on how to make siopao. This is an instant fave snack food for the kids knowing how they love siopao sold here at Php12 a piece. While it is usually stuffed with pork or chicken asado, my siopao is filled with, instead, corned beef and quick-melt cheese.  

My ingredients: all-purpose flour, lard, brown sugar, dry yeast, baking powder, quick-melt cheese and small can corned beef.

Sunlight and Watercolor Painting

 

One fine morning (Davao is cold these past days), I noticed that the sunlight hit our small dining area. This is always the case as observed during January where probably our location changed a light position in relation to the great sun. 

The second photo features my rough watercolor painting. Rough because this is one of the few watercolor paintings I did in an attempt to go back to paint more subjects after a long time hiatus, so to speak. The last time that I seriously painted and joined group art exhibits was in 1996. The whole year then I was active in the local art scene and then took a long respite after I focused on office work and put painting in the sidelight. I really miss doing it and the feeling of fulfillment when you are able to come up with another "obra maestra." I do watercolor, acrylic, oil and pen and ink. I posted one of the watercolor (third pic) paintings I did in 1996.

Monkey Business

Who won't find this cute? Play it to figure out.

Paradise Love by Kelly Chen

 


























A friend shared to me this song of Kelly Chen. Ms. Chen is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress.  The song is lovely. The melody is catchy and so sweet to the ear. The lyrics are poetic -- dedicated to the one you love. I really like it that is why I put it here from Youtube link for you to hear it too, in case you have not heard it yet. 

I wanted to play it in guitar so I searched for the lyrics and chords of the song and put them together with the photo of pretty Ms. Chen.

Ciao!

Early Dawn Lightning

Past midnight, I guess, a deafening lightning or thunderbolt broke our slumber. It occurred few minutes after the rain that night tapered to a halt. It was so strong that the second floor was like it was shaken up. That lightning set itself apart from other thunderbolts that I heard. It sounded like it hit something  on the ground.  As she was awaken by the electrifying strike from the heavens, my daughter scampered to the downstairs - joining her two sisters who opted to sleep in the sala. 

The heavens were like into serious rumbling after that earsplitting strike, with flashes penetrating through the glass windows. My wife quickly dropped a reminder saying that God Has His way of reminding people. I don't know. But who would not say that anyway? More often, we would be reminded of the great powers somewhere when we are confronted with a phenomenon like this.

Goto Mo?

In Tagalog, "gusto mo?" is something like "(you) like it?"  In Bisaya (Visayan) or Cebuano, we would say, "gusto nimo?" or "gusto ka?" Hmmm... anyways... a dotting mother who wishes her tot would understand her would say... go'to mo?" I really don't know where goto got its name. And I did not know that goto (Php35 per bowl as shown) was all meat soup as far as Quezon Province is concerned until I had the chance to have a taste of it when I went there last August. 

In a number of Pinoy flicks, goto would be more often mentioned especially in scenes where laborers or drivers taking their snacks. Goto afterall is poor man's fave snack. I learned later that there are various goto preparations depending on the region in Luzon where it is more popular. 

In Mindanao where I live, balbacua is probably the nearest kin of goto although Balbacua (consisting of tenderized beef meat and cow's hides) is more viscous. Again that entirely depends on the cook because there are balbacua preparations that are more or less similar to this goto. I happened to eat in a number of occasions in one eatery near GSIS Matina whose specialty is similar to goto. But it was spicy than I had in Quezon Province. Ok, since it is spicy it is popularly known as "hinalang" which comes from the Cebuano word "halang" to describe the burning chili or "sili". Hinalang is a soup preparation dumped with all spicy powers, that is it. It is tenderized carabeef or carabao meat.  

But what is an outright difference with goto and balbacua is the way they are eaten or enjoyed, let me say. Goto in my experience is taken with or without bread or rice while balbacua, considered a fave viand, is eaten with steamed rice. Hmm... my stomach is rumbling. Guess time to take my lunch... Goto mo?