Thousand Birdies Giveaway: Hope to Win it

I was checking for blog designs when I bump into this Blog Makeover contest on Gisele Jaquenod's site. What is nice is that bloggers have until midnight of the 15th of June to join. The guidelines are listed on her blog. This is the first time that I will be joining in a blog contest. So, I really do hope to win.

WS SpeakOutFriday: You, Before and After The Knot

Eight years ago, my life revolves around me, myself and I. I decide for myself. I work for myself. I buy myself whatever fancies my desires. After May 30,2001, everything changed. You see, eight years ago, was my wedding day. Actually, it was during the wedding preparation days that made me realize that after jumping into marriage, not just my name would changed but everything else will. I make decisions if not with him at least with him in mind. I changed the way I handle finances. The choice of food was also a compromise and yes, even the way I sleep have changed.

What I miss most about being single is the way I sleep. Alright, before marriage, I can go to bed the wee hours of the night (minsan madaling araw pa!) and get up in the afternoon (specially during weekends or on holidays). This is the first thing that changed when I get married. My husband has always been an early-to-bed-early-to-rise person. He wants to take his breakfast with me. Nakakaawa naman pag hindi ako bumangon kasi he'd go to work without having his breakfast. Initially, this was really hard for me. I struggled during the first years of our marriage until I gave birth. After giving birth, it seems to natural to wake up early because I have to attend not just to the needs of my spouse but to the needs of my child as well. Eight years after, marunong na ako gumising ng maaga and brunch is no longer the first meal of my day. I now know how to eat my breakfast.

Oh and another thing that I miss from my pre-mariaal times would be my numerous pillows that surrounds me while I snuggle.

Was it worth the change? Eight years after, I swear I could live without a pillow than without him beside me in bed.

We surpassed the Seven-Year Itch

Eight years ago, I made a decision. A decision that will greatly impact my life. Our wedding was not grandiose, 'twas actually very simple. It was not even what I can call my dream wedding. We don't have money but we have so much love for each other. That love is what still keeps the marriage in tact after eight loving years. I have not regretted taking on the step with Hubby. He never failed to hold on to his promises. In this times of divorces and annulments, swerte na maituturing ang umabot ng ganito katagal. We have already surpassed the seven-year itch. But we do have our own shares of ups and down. And yes, as any other wives does, there were times that I ask myself if I did the right decision on marrying him (especially at times when we tend to disagree over petty things). And yes, I always answered myself affirmatively. I just wish he also feels the same way (sumasagot sya! syempre naman daw!)

Today, I wanna thank him for keeping up with all my shortcomings. For being there especially during the lowest times in life. I know I couldn't have done taking care of my mom without him. I wish to spend not just eight more years but hopefully eighty-eight more years with him.


I love you Dada, and I will always will.

Mommy Moments: Haircut

A few years back (okay, let's make that a decade, perhaps) kids does not mind being given any type of hairstyle. They don't mind being given the what we call Shatu look (shatuktok lang ang natitira!). :)

Wait this is not my son. This picture was taken from my mom's baul. That's my cousin sporting the shatu look (circa 80s).

Nowadays, kids (especially boys) always have a say on how they would look like after the haircut. My kid is of no difference. This picture was taken after his first haircut. It was also his first birthday when he got his first haircut.

After the first haircut

Before the haircut , his hair was curly and I used to held it in a ponytail. Andami tuloy nagkakamali na girl sya noon.

Before the haircut

More haircut stories on Mommy Moments.

No More Problem with Adgitize

After a few days of clicking Adgitize ads, I now have seen the difference it will give me if my clicks will be counted by the system. I signed up with Adgitize because I would like to check the difference it will make on my blog plus a lot of bloggers on Entrecard are also using it. I had problems with the system, but with the help of their webmaster/developer Ken Brown it has been resolved . He was very patient in answering all my queries in a very timely manner. I would like to show him my appreciation for his help via this post.

As for the earnings, I am still trying to compare Adgitize with other blog advertising system.

WS Foodie Wednesday: Cooking Before and After the Knot

Kung meron akong dapat ipagpasalamat sa Mama ko (aside from the good genes), iyon ang pagtuturo sa akin ng pagluluto. Relatives said that I have been in the kitchen ever since I was four years of age. I remember taking simple orders from my Lola as she cook. It started from little things like sorting the vegetables and washing them...to bigger things like wrapping up the Embotido, or beating up the eggs for the Leche Flan (that's for two straight hours). Every good chef needs a good assistant, 'ika nga. You would probably think that I don't have any kitchen dilemma when I got married. But, you are wrong. My mom's side of the family hails from Bicol and we have been brought up savoring on foods from their region, from Cocido to Laing to their own version of Dinuguan. The problem is Hubby is not so into this kind of dishes. He'd rather eat Bulanglang than Chopsuey. He wants his Sinigang with very little hint of sourness. Well, this is how they cook food in their home. MIL is not good at cooking (this is my opinion, it's my blog anyway). You can probably imagine the reaction on my face when he compared my version of Bulanglang (which happens to be his favorite) to her mom's version stating that the latter was the better. Sinumpa ko talaga sa sarili ko na hindi na ko ulit magluluto ng Bulanglang. Almost eight years after, Hubby already acquired a different taste over food. He now drools over my Bicol Express.



But, if he wants his Bulanglang, he will have to take it my way.

Oh, and let me just add my son also acquired the same passion over food.

Experiencing Problems with Adgitize

Alright, I am actually planning to be a work-at-home mom in the next couple of months. It has been two weeks that I have been trying to check on online deals and any other ways on how to I can still earn while at home. I signed up with Adgitize a few days ago. I did so because so far I have read good reviews about the system and how it worked. What they are offering seems to be feasible. Or so I thought. Right now, as I have been dropping my EC's I also clicked on Adgitize ad groups to earn points on the two systems. What's funny is that my Entrecard points are shooting up while my Adgitize points seems to be stuck up to zero. I have already contacted their webmaster and is now awaiting any resolution regarding this matter.

Can't Help but Reminisce

I am on a reminiscing mode today. I was actually trying to sort out my digital scrapbooking layouts when I found this. These pictures were taken almost two years ago. The writings still hold true. He indeed is growing so fast.



My kid is no longer a baby (although in my heart he will always be my baby!). Makes me really think about staying at home and just spending most of my time with him. Makes me just want to hug him more because I know sometime in the future he will no longer want to be hugged in public. Hubby said I am worrying too much about the future. But, I doubt if any mother isn't?

My list of 8

The tag was passed on by Issa around the first week of May. Sorry for doing this just now. Anyhows, here is my list of 8s.

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To
my check for the maternity benefit from SSS
my salary increase
my other guy's 7th birthday in August
printing all my digital scrapbooks' lay-outs
an out of the country vacation (paging brothers!)
having a house of our own (in progress!)
our wedding anniversary (in a few days from now!)
seeing two lines in my HPT again


8 Things I Did Yesterday
watch Harry Potter 1
watch Harry Potter 2
watch Harry Potter 3
watch Harry Potter 4
watch Harry Potter 5 (kulit kasi ni son at Hubby eh!)
cooked dinner
checked on other online deals
checked on emails



8 Things I Wish I Could Do
delay the future
be invisible
raise my child the way we were raised by my Mom
learn photography (and Photoshop!)
learn to speak and write in another language (either French, Spanish, Chinese or Japanese)
talk with my Mom (missed her so much!)
get pregnant in a snap (LOL!)
not worry about the future




8 Shows I watch (regularly?, no! just almost everyday)
Oprah
Ellen deGeneres
Martha
Everyday Italian
Tayong Dalawa (telenovela fanatic, pamana ni Mama!)
Spongebob Squarepants
Jimmy Neutron
CatDog


It seems that most of the people on my bloglist have already made their own eights, so I am not tagging anyone. (But hey, if you want you may make your very own 8list).

My Blog is Nominated!

Let me first take a deep breath. I started being active in blogging (again!) after an unpleasant event. It is when I was able to find time to update on this blog and take some online learning about how to tweak on its design. After almost 3 months, out of luck (?), my blog is nominated in The Composed Gentleman's Filipino Blog of the Week Award (week 162). It is such a pleasure to be nominated (what more if I win this). If you can please vote for me on his page, it will be such a delight (the poll is almost in the middle of his first sidebar). To my fellow mommies and wifeys who are sharing my journey through this blog, sana tulungan nyo ako (it seems that there are only few from our group who have been given the chance to win the award).

So please, to anyone reading my this blog, kindly vote for Mom from Manila in this site . Your votes will be greatly appreciated.

Ngayon pa lang po, maraming salamat sa lahat!

On Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili Scandal

The Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili scandal is all over the news today. I was flipping on national channels last night and they are actually the current rave. The media seems to ride on the scandal. As a lady, I cannot help but take on the side of Ms. Halili. I hate it when a lady is being put into a shameful situation. Hubby said that it looks like she knows about the filming of the vid, but still she does not know that it will be shown publicly. Even the lawmakers seem to ride on the fame (err, shame) that the vids are making. Why does it have to be that they need individuals from the film industry to come in front and say that their rights were violated before they would react? Matagal ng maraming sex scandal ng mga hindi kilalang tao na binebenta sa kalsada pero dahil hindi sila kilala ayos lang sa mga mambabatas? Oh,I just wish they would open their eyes to the realities of our world. The more they talk about the videos they higher the number the searches over the internet for them are. Even my six year old son is starting to ask about the video. The news are all on primetime and a lot of kids are actually watching the news with their parents. Hence, a lot of kids are actually hearing them talk about this kind of things. Sa inis ko, nilipat ko na lang ang TV sa ibang channel.

And by the way, we should be more worried because our country already have its 1st confirmed AH1N1 patient.

Mommy Moments: Grandparents Bonding

Today in Mommy Moments, kids are bonding with their grandparents. My kid is the only grandchild my mom saw before she went back to her Creator. She was very close to my son and they have a lot of special time together. This particular picture was taken on the morning of Jian's 3rd birthday.



This second picture was taken during my Lolo's visit here in Manila (they are staying in Samar, and gets to visit us only once in a while). Jian loves to call my Lolo "Babay Gonio".



This last picture holds a special place in our heart. This is my mom's last Valentine's day picture. Pardon the blurness, this was captured by a phone cam.

More grandchildren bonding with their grannies here.

I dreamt of Marilyn

Last night, I dreamt of Marilyn. No, not Marilyn Monroe or any other Marilyn for that matter. I dreamt of my mom, her name is Marilyn. She was cooking her most applauded (read:laging ubos!) dish, Pancit Palabok (hence we named it Pancit Palabok ala Marilyn). It's a different take on the traditional palabok. This could actually pass to most vegetarians (or at least to those who still eat seafoods but not pork, beef, chicken or any other meat). This dish is actually my mom's specialty, (kahit na ako ang nagturo sa kanya kung paano ito lutuin.) It is her staple centerpiece everytime there is a family gathering. She used to brag about how tedious the process of making the dish (the exact same reason why I don't cook this dish often). A week ago, we celebrated her first death anniversary, and I deemed it appropriate to have this on the table. I cooked the sauce ahead of time and just stored it on the fridge. Paggising ko kanina, bigla ko tuloy naalala may extra sauce pa nga pala so I cooked the noodle and make today's lunch (err, brunch) a feast.

Pancit Palabok ala Marilyn

Well, everyone said parang luto daw ni Mama. I just hope hindi nila ako binobola.

Pancit Palabok ala Marilyn

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo Palabok noodles (cooked per package direction)
1/2 pc tofu, mashed
1 head of garlic, minced
1 medium sized onion, minced
cooking oil, enough for sauteing
1/4 kilo fresh alamang (unsalted)
1 tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 3 tbsp. water ( this is the slurry)
1/2 cup powdered tinapa
1/2 cup powdered chicharon
achuete oil (for coloring)

For the toppings:
1/2 kilo tahong steamed and taken off from shell
1/2 kilo squid steamed and cut into bite sized pieces
4 hard boiled egg sliced
crushed chicharon baboy
chopped green onions
chopped kinchay
fried garlic, crushed
calamansi

Procedure:
1. Saute garlic and onions in very little water. Add in the alamang and wait until it turns into an orangey pink color.
2. Add in the tofu and stir well. After a few minutes, add in the chicharon and tinapa and the slurry, then the achuete oil.
3. Simmer for a few minutes and you may then add this to the cooked palabok noodles.
4. For an authentic look, arrange in a bilao laden with banana leaves. Topped with the tahong, squid, eggs and the other toppings.

**Other people find the saltiness of the powdered tinapa enough for their taste while others find the need to add some more patis. Just do serve it with patis, tinapa powder and chicharon powder on the side para pwedeng dagdagan ng ibang gusto ng mas maalat. You may also omit the chicharon, so it won't have any meat products at all.

WS FoodieWednesday : Our Food-Related Quirks

This is going to be my first time to write for a topic discussed in WifeSpeaks. I have been a follower of this site and I felt sad when they were on hiatus. But the good news is that they have a new site and it's better than before.

Today, wives are discussing about food quirks, be it their husband's or theirs. My hubby is never a picky-eater. Kahit ano ang nasa mesa, kakainin nya; wag lang kahit anong pasta. It was hard to deal with it because my family loves pasta, specially spaghetti, so much. I actually discovered his "unliking" for anything pasta when we are still dating. It was my birthday and I invited him for a late afternoon lunch in our house. My mom prepared her famous spaghetti, which he obliged to have a taste (nagpapasikat eh!). Ang problema, nahihilo pala sya pag kumakain ng pasta. Good thing, kasama nya ang bestfriend nya so may nag drive para sa kanya.

To date, Hubby now finds my pasta dishes delectable. Oops, hindi ko sya pinuwersa. It would be better to say that he began to acquire the taste over the years. Just like this Penne in Tomatoes and Cream that I cooked last week.

As for me, natuto na rin ako kumain (at magluto!) ng isa sa mga paborito nyang gulay, ang Okra.

I♥Faces: Blurb Book Photo Contest

I found a great site that features faces and their emotions as captured on cam. They do have different themes every week. This week there is an ongoing contest for everyone. I find the site very educating and very interesting that I also decided to participate on it. It is really hard to choose from a lot of photos which have all been, at one time or another, my favorite. I am sharing a picture of my son when he was about a year old. I really love this picture because I think all his innocence was captured on it. I hope you like this as well.





"I am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites."

Some Silly Moments

This week in Mommy Moments, mommies are featuring their kid's silly moments. I am sharing two, actually three, silly pictures of my kiddo. The first one was taken one afternoon just before our usual noontime nap. We were trying out the timer feature of our digital camera. I tweaked the picture a bit on Picasa, (because you might tell me I looked sillier than he does).


This second picture was taken on the eve of Hubby's birthday. Jian was with one of my younger cousin trying to prepare a surprise for hubby. Believe me, Jian was the director of the whole scene. Sabi nya, gusto nya yung mukhang pinag aagawan nila iyong papel.



I was about to hit on the enter key when I remember this last picture. This was taken a few years back,Jian was only two years old here. Kapatid ko ang salarin sa kuha na ito. Nakatulog ang bata sa sobrang pagod ng nakatayo (or mas tamang sabihin na nakasandal sa upuan).



So there goes three silly moment of my kid. For more Mommy Moments, visit this.

Mother's Day Lunch

My mom's family hails from Bicol. During my younger years, Lola used to live with us. She was a very good cook, and yes, she cooks good "ginataan" dishes. There was even a time in my life that I was getting tired of having ginataan dishes every week, sometimes even twice of them in a weeks time. But when, I grow a little older, I began to realize the tedious process of cooking these dishes and started to begin liking them. I am even popular in my friend's circle because I am the only one who can cook a ginataan dish the way a true Bicolana does it. But eversince Mom died, I could easily count in my fingers the times that I cooked these dishes. Yesterday, I was on a reminiscing mode and I decided to whip up a ginataan dish. I cooked Ginataang Langka. At syempre ang terno ng Ginataang Langka ay Steamed Tahong. We pigged out on these for our Mother's Day lunch.

Ginataang Langka

Steamed Tahong

Oh, I could still hear their burps after eating.

MIssing Mom on Mother's Day

Today is a very special day to all mother's in the world. This happens to be the first mother's day that I will not be able to hug my mom. Roughly a year ago, she left us to be with her creator. I actually made the video below as a gift to her on her 50th birthday last November 4, 2007. That was her last birthday with us and I could also say it was her happiest. There were a lot of surprises for her on that day. She was reunited with her long lost friends and all the person dear to her were there to greet her on that special day.



Nasaan ka man, Mama, Happy Mother's Day. I know you are still guiding us. Thanks for everything and I promise to make sure that you will always be remembered by your apo. Mahal na mahal ka naming lahat.

Mommy Moments: Happy Time

This is actually my first time to join in Mommy Moments. I stumbled upon Mommy Moments via Issa's About a Boy. For me, it's a good idea to blog about being a mom so here I am participating in this meme. ( Hopefully, I get to join in weekly.)


What good way to start by making you see the ideal mom that I have. This picture was taken on her 50th birthday, sadly it was her last. She died roughly a year ago because of a metastasized Primitive NeuroEctodermal Tumor. She battled big C for almost 6 years. She was the pillar of the family. She never fails to encourage us in giving out our best even at the times that she was sick. She was the epitome of a best Mom. I hope that my child will see me someday the way I see her today, a role model.

As for me and my son, we have a lot of happy moments. I can't pick on the best so I am sharing some of them here. Hope you like them.

Admit it or not, all moments with our little dearies are the happiest. Be it when they are grumpy or they are at their best. I am not an exception. I am a working mom so I make it a point to have quality time with my son. Be it at home or somewhere else. And as you can see, mababaw lang ang kasiyahan naming magnanay.

More Happy Mommy Moments here.

Sauteed Okra with Bacon Bits

I have a bunch of okra sitting in the fridge's crisper for days now. I honestly don't know what to do with them. Actually, super mura ang okra the time we went to the market and since I am scheduled to cook Pinakbet this week, I decided to buy a bunch of them. But the problem is that they are too many for the pinakbet so they have been there for quite some time. I already used all the bagoong alamang so there is no way that they will be dipped in that. I checked on my fridge and found some bacon. Naalala ko tuloy 'yung kinain namin one time sa Max's Restaurant na Asparagus sauteed in Bacon. I decided to cook the okra as a substitute to the asparagus. Hmm, weird as you might say because they don't even have the same texture. But then, I gave it a try. Much to my surprise, it did taste delicious, plus my son gets to eat his dreaded vegetable since it's cooked with bacon. The whole family agreed on this as well. So, if you want, you may give it a try.



Ingredients:
30 pcs. okra
5-10 bacon strips chopped ( adjust this to your preference)
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 pcs. tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp. butter
salt and peper to taste
water

Put the bacon in a pan and cook over low heat. Wait until the bacon sweats out its own oil. When the bacon is done, take them out of the pan. Put in the butter and then saute the garlic, onion and tomatoes. Add in the okra and put in a little bit of water. Put in the bacon and some salt and pepper to taste. (I did not put in any salt actually because the salt for the bacon is already enough). Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes and then turn off the heat. Enjoy !