Why I love doing the grocery

   My love for cooking and baking started when I was seven years old which led to my passion for grocery shopping.  Every Sunday, I would always go to the grocery with my parents and I was so excited to buy items for baking. I remember how excited I was to show my yaya the foods and ingredients that I've bought. I loved spending time with my yaya Josephine in the kitchen. My yaya taught me how to make polvoron, maja blanca mais, ice candy and etc... I would always watch her as she cooks and prepare our meals. 

   When I was teenager I knew I wanted to be a good wife and mother. Call it a simple dream, but hey, that's just me. Although the idea of a corporate job appealed to me at one point (more so because of my fondness for the fashionable power suit and the huge wooden desk overlooking the city on the top floor of a sleek building) it ebbed off as soon as the closing credits of the movie came on. Yup, it's appeal was purely cinematic. Not necessarily real, too rose-colored to be true, fleeting at best. Being a homemaker is an idea I held on to. Although I may not like the thought of a nine-to-five job, I have never qualms about taking on the challenge of being truly domesticated 24/7. I remember when I could not wait to do wifey things like run a household, cook, bake, do arts and crafts with my children, I even wanted to go to the wet market and meet the fish. 

   Now that I am a wife and mother, I have happily discovered that my domestic dreams are not too far-fetched from reality. I enjoyed doing the grocery even if I do it most of the time just by myself. It became such a chore for me that I do it almost everyday. I buy everything in huge quantities (the fresh fish, chicken and vegetables, our cook gets once a week at Dapitan or Kamuning Market). To make my grocery shopping easy,  I drew out a very organized list. I started by listing everything I needed to keep the household running, from groceries to toiletries to cleaning aids, office supplies and personal effects, and categorized them in alphabetical order according to kind (i.e. sauces, canned goods, dairy, medicines, condiments, etc.). It is less trouble for the help because I just print out the list and all they have to do is mark the items needed in addition to specifying the quantity. I avoid going to groceries on weekends unless I absolutely have to and I never go without my valuable custom-made list. It has served me quite well. The few hours you will spend personalizing your list will be worth the time you save going back and forth the grocery aisles like a headless chicken.

   I like going to Waltermart and Puregold because it is consistently well-stocked, it is always neat and clean and I'm already very familiar with the place. Because Puregold is quite popular, the long lines at the checkout counter can be taxing. It is also a good place to get choice cut of meats. I buy the fresh meats at Monterey (you can find this at the meat section) and have them cut the way I want them to. For deli fare, Santi's is an all time favorite.

   Another place I truly enjoy going to is S&R. They have a wide variety of goods, it is also clean, the space in between aisles is wide. You can buy the items in bulk. My kids loved the food samplings along the aisles, especially on weekends. They have a good selection of processed meats and dairy products too.

   Whenever I travel with my family abroad, our first stop is usually the grocery. We buy all sorts of foods and refreshments that we stock up in the fridge of our hotel room.

   I really enjoy going to the grocery because it is there where I can unwind, relax, and have a quiet time. Our house is open most of the times to friends and loved ones, and whenever they drop by the house and they haven't eaten or they feel like eating again, I can make use of whatever is in our pantry or refrigerator to serve them. Come to think of it, maybe that is why I also like going to grocery and buying in bulk, I want to be a girl scout in the kitchen, always prepared! And more than anything else, I love seeing the biggest smile plastered on my children's face every time I come home with bags of their favorite snacks and juices. 

The Joys of Summer at Home

my treasures

my kids holding their super water squirters

kids playing in my room

 

  I hear my children squealing with delight. I checked on them just 5 minutes ago and they were in our garage, with swimming goggles on, unapologetically squirting water at each other with bright-colored water pumps. We do not have a swimming pool so we use the inflatable ring pool instead. I guess it's the next best thing to beat the heat.  

   I am sorting out clothes - mine, Andre's, and kids' - putting away some for storage, setting aside a pile to give away. Each closet are crammed (we are six in the family which means I have to clean out six closets...whew!) especially mine and Andre's. I really feel the constant urge to unload. Moments later I go down again, looking for something to eat, only to realize that my boys found another playmate. My husband has joined them. He who loves to swim is now teaching the boys the basic water breathing techniques. I get a piece of banana, settle in a chair contentedly, and watch them while I eat. 

   I am soaking in the sun, the heat, my sweat, the sight before me. It is hot outside and I feel all warm and cozy inside. I feel very blessed. Before me are my real treasures. 

   After taking a shower, they laze around. And in the quiet of this very hot summer afternoon, they lounge. And loll around in bed. Play XBox 360. Watch disney movies. Fight and argue a little. Make up. Goof around pretending to be the monster from the movie Unborn. Then they look again for more food, settling on some fruit. They explore, they discover, they widen their little world and grow. 

   Where did my summers like this go? The long, languid days that stretched on forever, as lovely as my dreams - when can I have them again? I am a wife now, a mommy, with a household to run and many lives to organize. There is a structure to my hours, a plan to my days. I guess from time to time it is but natural to miss the loose knots of youth - those cushy, carefree loops that allowed me to skip from moment to moment with nary a care in the world. I still remember clearly the many joys that came with it. I remember the feeling so clearly that can almost touch it. But I've had that time of my life and I enjoyed it fully while it lasted. I wish all of that now plus more on my children and children their age. This is the golden time of sun and fun. Pretty soon they will all grow up and find out for themselves how life will not be always be so simple. It will still be beautiful, definitely, just not as uncomplicated. So I want to tell them, in all their innocence and youth, to soak it all up, every bit of it, so much so that there will be enough to get by when life's little bumpy rides arrive. Happy childhood memories have a way of molding adults into a resilient, positive bunch.

   They are now playing in my room. I look at them and listen in on their little musings; their conversation making for an interesting backdrop while I am doing my chores. They are now laughing at the name Ilay (the name of an old man from the movie Unborn). For some reason it amuses them and me as well. They say it out loud and promptly collapse in heaps of laughter. The whole day, all the way before they go to dream land, Ilay is a happy word. I wonder what it will be tomorrow. 

   I listen to them and thank them in a big way in my thoughts. Dear God, I am grateful for gentle days like these. I too often forget what it is like when life is this simple, when every day is but a summer's day. Thank you for your hands on my shoulders, for this shot of inspiring joy, coming so unexpectedly, like a warm smile from a stranger, or the fragrance of flowers carried ever so softly by the breeze.

   For now,  this is my summer - my days are packed. I'm craving for mais con yielo, loving my family in heaps, and feeling so blessed. My summers may not be as simple anymore, but there will always be days like this to remind me how carefree it once was, and how one day when I am much, much, much older, it can still be. The cycle of life will make way for that.

Loving Hong Kong

Manila International Airport

Harbour City Plaza

This is how we sleep during our stay in Hong Kong

Ocean Park Hong Kong

a photo with Swift

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Having snacks outside the Bakery

Black Sesame and Walnut Soup

   

    I was in Hong Kong recently with my husband and my three boys. My sister-in-law, Princess Ching, joined the trip with us too. It was her first time to go to Hong Kong. The PAL flight to Hong Kong was relatively full. Hong Kong is about one and a half hours away from the Philippines.

   

   Hong Kong hasn't changed much. It has always been one of my favorite places. I have been going there since I was eight years old. I remember my dad telling me that he will bring me to Hong Kong if I will get first honor from first to fourth quarter during the time when I was on my third grade. And fortunately, I did! I was so happy that time because it is going to be my first time to travel outside our country. And since then I've been going there at least three times a year because we have a family business there. It became a second home to me.

   Well, we normally stay in Park Lane Hong Kong which is situated right in the heart of vibrant Causeway Bay. This time around we found ourselves in Kowloon at the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. The hotel is built on the Ocean Terminal, a pier which is frequently visited by Cruise Ships. The whole complex is part of a huge shopping center with lots of branded store names and restaurants which we find very convenient for us especially that my husband and I brought our three boys with us. We don't have to go outside the hotel to shop or look for food outlets.

    We opted to have lunch first at City Super food court which is located inside Harbour City Plaza. I love to eat there because it showcase an international fusion of freshly prepared, restaurant-quality meals - at fast food prices! You can take a break from shopping, relax and enjoy a refreshing drink with something delicious to eat. My kids ordered pastas at Te. Te is not a fast food, not a standard restaurant. Their pastas and herbal teas are so good. I ordered my food at Takomaru, the expert of making Japanese octopus ball in town. My meal will not be complete without my favorite dessert which is the  hot black sesame soup and walnut soup. You can order it at Honeymoon Dessert. They provide ranges of choice to serve the dessert-lovers in the city. It is so good that for us a visit to Hong Kong will never be complete unless we have at least a couple of meals there. An even nicer thing about it is that we always see familiar faces because the servers and waitresses from five years ago are still the same ones up to now.

      

    We got there on a Saturday and left on a Tuesday.  We went to Ocean Park on the second day and Disneyland on the third day. Ocean Park is still the same but Hong Kong Disneyland has changed a lot. They added new attractions, entertainment and spectaculars for the whole family to enjoy. Tomorrowland was expanded to incorporate three dynamic new attractions - the exciting Autopia experience, the fun Stitch Encounter (my sister-in-law got to participate in the encounter with Stitch and it was so funny), and the UFO Zone adventure. We rode the indoor roller coaster in Space Mountain and I swear that it's going to be my first and last time to ride on it. It made me dizzy and I was scared that my three boys won't be able to handle the warp speed of the roller coaster. We also went to Tarzan's Treehouse which was beautifully decorated with trees and all those things that appeared in the cartoon. We took the jungle river cruise along a river and there was like fire and gushes of smoke along the way. It was really fun.

    I have no doubt that Hong Kong is close to my heart because it consistently only takes a couple of hours after arriving there for me to already wish I would have an upcoming trip back. Can you imagine already planning to go back when you haven't even left yet?

    I will always love Hong Kong so alive. I love its skyline, food, shopping and the bargains. I love the way the people dress up and am ceaselessly amazed at how working women can run through traffic stops in their spiky heels. I love taking the ferry because there is an Old-World charm to it that you cannot shake off and even miles and miles of walking is pleasant when capped off with a refreshing bottle of sugar can juice available at practically every sidewalk. Well, I'm thinking of going back there again but this time it is going to be with my baby boy!

    

   

How to keep the music playing?

   All too often, we see women who, in the hustle and bustle of striving to be good homemakers, forget themselves and their personal needs. Specifically, they forget to pamper themselves and in the process end up looking unkempt, plain, and sometimes even disheveled. I'm not saying this is a bad thing but when something can be done, why settle for looking ordinary. Looking good does not have to be expensive, what with the multitude of products available on the market to fit every need, every budget. Before being a mother, remember that you are a wife first. Your husband was and should still be attracted to you.

  

   Try remembering the first date with your spouse (then boyfriend) when, hours before he was scheduled to arrive, you preened precariously before the mirror making sure that you looked just right. Go back to the time when just thinking of him made you smile, when you couldn't wait to see him and when simply being together was enough.

  

   I have heard of stories that the most common complaint of wives is that their men don't bother to take them out on dates anymore. To this the men almost always have the same answer: "Our wives don't bother to fix themselves up anymore, secure as they already are that we married them." Marriage should not be a license for us to just sit back, relax and to let nature take its course. One has to constantly work at keeping herself good - in all aspects.

   

  Of course, there will be times that he will catch you at your unglamorous looks. To think otherwise would be unrealistic. Nonetheless, this should not be the norm. Continue to make an effort to keep yourself  desirable and attractive. In short, don't be a losyang. Stay fit ( by this I don't mean you have to look like a model) and healthy. Take care of your skin. But more than that, please smell good. You owe it to your husband, but more than that you owe it to yourself. 

   

  Remember to make coming home a pleasant experience for your husband, so much so that he will not dread seeing you at a day's end. Okay, maybe dread is too harsh a word but one should have the right attitude in handling time towards spent together after a long day. It should be relaxing, not stressful. I know it's such a cliche to say that woman shouldn't nag but really, we should not. Talk to your husband but don't whine or complain all the time. 

 

  Romance shouldn't end where marriage begins. The jaded would probably scoff at my optimism. "Wait till you are 25 years married!" they might say. When we see an old couple holding hands our mindset should not be one of surprise. We should not marvel at how and why they stayed that way, rather we should acknowledge that it is but natural for them to be the way they still are-affectionate toward each other, not marred by time or age.

  

  Your husband should be the highlight of your day. In some way, however good my day already is I feel better when my husband is home and we have the whole night ahead of us to wrap up the events of the day. We don't sleep angry at each other and never has a day passed when we don't say "I love you" and mean it. We are in our tenth year of marriage and some may say it's premature for me to talk about how to keep the music playing. Idealistic, I maybe. But I have high hopes and I'm going to take it step by step, one day at a time. More importantly, I am going to face the tune and enjoy the dance.

   Marriage is not a bed of roses-I've seen enough break-ups to last three lifetimes but by and large I believe that if there was reason to get together, there must be enough reason, too, for a couple to stay together. All in God's plan all in God's time. True love should bring out the best in you. And while physical beauty should in no way subsist as the be-all and end-all of a happy marriage you owe it to yourself and your spouse to make the best out of whatever attributes God has blessed you with. For beneath the individual layered with stress, responsibilities, mommy-duties, busy schedules and tight workloads lies the woman that your man fell in love with.

  

   Surface and shine! 

Reasons To Love Summer

    Summer is here again, and it's a sizzler. While a lot of people I know dislike summer because of the unbearable heat, it happens to be one of my favorite season. Here, I give you reasons why:

1) Having a picnic and flying a kite. You would think nobody does that anymore in a busy city like Manila. Think again. The Fort can be a good place for it. 

2) More quality time with your child. The enthusiasm of a child is contagious - I feel blessed with their wild-eyed innocence and total appreciation of things, be it in something as trivial as cracking the shell of a hard-boiled egg to trying to catch small fish with their little hands.

3) Staying in and watching your favorite show or DVDs.

4) Makeup-free days when your skin can really breathe.

5) Buttered corn on the cob.

6) You can enjoy halo-halo anywhere. It does not have to be anything fancy - you can make your own(after all, every Pinoy household has its own version). Milky Way and Razon's are legendary for their halo-halo. If you'll find yourself anywhere near Razon's or Milky Way,  do yourself a favor by indulging in at least one serving.

7) Milkshakes. Any kind, any blend. As long as it tickles your fancy.

8) The long days are a perfect excuse to stay in and catch up on your reading. For me, one of life's simple joys is curling up with a good book.

9) The hot weather is the perfect reason to wear white. It is also a great excuse to wear your man's big white cotton shirt.

10) It's a great time to have outdoor barbecues with family and friends.

11) The summer heat is the perfect excuse to dig into a big bowl of your favorite ice cream.

12) You tend to appreciate more of life's little pleasures, the very same things you tend to overlook the rest of the year. Like what? The cool breeze that seems to come just when you think you can't take the heat any longer. The shade that trees provide. The function of a big giveaway-from-the-bank umbrella. The wonderful invention that is the refrigerator. The blessedness of cold, clean drinking water and the ice cubes in any drink your heart fancies.

13) The beach. Although Boracay will always be a sentimental favorite, our country is rich with so many other beautiful beaches and resorts. It is amazing how much more there is to enjoy and discover within Philippine shores.

14) Tank tops and flip flops.

15) Board games.

16) Longer, more languid bathing rituals.

17) Ice candy. Any flavor.

18) A good foot and body massage.

19) The refreshing feel of baby cologne splashed generously on the body when the weather gets too, too hot.

20) Slices of butter and sugar toast. There are many ways of making this treat but at home we prepare it only one way: By spreading the butter generously on the bread,  toasting it, and as a last step sprinkling white sugar on it. Bite into it and the different textures that fill your mouth - the half-crispy, half-gooey, butter-soaked bread and the raw, grainy white sugar - is as much a pleasure as the homey, delicious taste you will remember from way back when you were a little child sitting in your mother's kitchen.

Couple time

Photo of my kids sleeping soundly

outside Beijing Foot Spa

my dear husband

  
    It was already past ten in the evening and after putting my kids to sleep and changed and climbed to bed, sleep still did not find me. I sat on the bed watching my four kids sleeping soundly while each of them curled like a shrimp under their own comforters. I always kiss and nuzzle them even as they sleep, whispering that I love them. They always smell of shampoo and rain. Often they will move and acknowledge with a sleepy smile. Tonight, I won't be sleeping beside my baby which is my permanent place but instead I'll be sleeping together again with my husband on a mattress that originally belongs to my son Andrew which is laid down on the floor. I missed the nightly sweet embrace that my husband and I used to have by the time we settled in our bed. We haven't been sleeping together in one bed for almost half a year. My kids sleep in our room and shares the bed with us.

    It's a ritual for Andre and I, lying in bed or just sitting on it, to talk quietly about the highlights of the day, sharing tomorrow's plan and schedule with each other, all the while talking in hushed whispers so baby Andrei will not be disturbed. We surf the Net together or individually on our laptop for a short time and finally settle into watching DVD movie. When that happens, we know sleep is near. But often, sleep still didn't find us. So it really is not long before we find ourselves going to our favorite spa to pamper our tired bodies.

     We love going to Beijing Foot Spa which is located at IL Terrazzo Mall, Tomas Morato. They've got a large team of well-trained masseuses who renders a vigorous foot and body massage. Their foot massage is so good and it is by far the best foot massage we ever had from our Spa hopping leisure time.

     More than the pleasure of the relaxing massage though is the joy of each other's presence and company that I savor. We both look forward to doing this together. While in the car on our way home, we talk and dream together. That is our favorite thing to do and we really go wild in that department. Why limit God when he can give all? What joy! Dreaming limitlessly allows us to take on wings and by heaven's name, do we enjoy the flight. My husband shares his own childhood memories with me and I know all these little stories behind his scar on the hand, on the leg that he got from biking with an old friend. We love exchanging stories from our childhood memories. 

      Finally and forever, this much I warmly hold on to: when the time came that we are both old and grey, when deep lines have settled in our faces and we have both lost our youth, I know we will continue to have and enjoy our quiet conversations as well as frequent quiet "date" nights. We will continue to hold hands and talk and live and love and that will be enough. As early as now it makes my heart do little pirouettes to know that far, far away into the future, way beyond our golden years when our children and grandchildren are all grown up and have lives on their own, and when we naturally don't have our crazy and busy schedules, it will again be down  to just the two of us. The prospect did not scare me because I know the hand I hold belongs to a man I truly enjoy talking to and being with, and that the ties that bind us and all the moments that will lead up to that were, in one way or another, reinforced by the many little quiet "dates" we had. For this particular phase in young, married life, this little pockets of time are what nurture and enrich us most.