hypermom

Big Balloon

2012-01-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

For the past few days, my luscious friend L has been giving us updates of her much-awaited journey to delivery. She's on her 39th week, I think, and every few days or so, she'll say something like, "Going to Tagaytay. Still pregnant." "Doing the groceries. Still pregnant." I feel for her.

Having a baby is joy, but carrying it in your womb can be quite a handful. It wasn't so bad with my first. I didn't grow all that big, didn't bloat in all the wrong places, but labor was excruciating. It just took forever. I couldn't find any comfortable position to sit, stand, or lie down. It was sheer agony! The thought of doing a Cesarian procedure didn't cross my doctor's mind because the baby was right on time. Besides, she said, I had good, child-bearing hips, which really is just another way of saying that I have a big butt! Mwahahaha

By the time I was pregnant with my fourth, I had unraveled all the mysteries of pregnancy, and I just wanted to get that baby out of there. I hemmed and hawed and counted the days till the big event. By this time too, I had, well, expanded quite a bit. My ankles were swollen. My thighs were more than luscious. And my boobs were just bursting.

Every day I'd wake up and say, "Please let it be today."

And on January 23, 1997, out he came.

Here's the once little critter who made me blow up like a big balloon 15 years ago.

Happy birthday, Kyle! I love you! :)

Full Metal Jacket

2012-01-27T01:26:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy few weeks with work stuff blending in with mommy stuff creating one glorious tumble. The lovely tumble wasn't anything I can't handle but when those PMS hormones kicked in, I knew I had to let off some steam. D once told me that he'd take me to the firing range if I wanted. And I thought, well, that's one way to let off steam: Fire off some rounds!

Of course, I've never ever held a gun in my life. I did once, I think, when I went on this bivouac in high school. But the thing was ancient, and there weren't any bullets, so that doesn't count.

It wasn't heavy, but for something that small it had a substantial weight on it. It didn't look scary, but when I aimed it at the target, I suddenly thought, "Woah! You could really hurt someone with this thing if you're not careful."

The big surprise? I actually hit the target. On my first shot, in fact, I hit the bull's eye. And I would do so a couple of times more when I really focused and did everything I was told. That was a real treat because I could be such a klutz! Mwahaha

Getting instructions from our guide, Dong. Let your hands embrace the gun, he told me. Oh, okay!

Before we got into the firing range, D had this very precise set of instructions on how I should aim with accompanying illustrations. And here I am, taking aim while trying to remember if I'm doing everything right.

And it's off!

When my son K saw this picture, he said, "You're not even holding it right." Yes, I know! I'm such a wuss! Mwahahaha

Good Morning, Lula! :)

2012-01-19T00:51:00.001-08:00

Baby S is an early riser. And in the mornings, when she hears me going down the stairs, she would hurriedly run to our part of the house and say, "Good morning, Lula!" I smile, give her a hug, and say a sweet good morning.

When I'm not in a hurry, I'd spend a few minutes with her. Sometimes I'd make her a cheese sandwich. Sometimes we'd play with her clay. Sometimes we'd go up to my room. I'll put on some music, and she'll dance on my bed while I plot out my day. It's a great way to start the morning, having this little angel fussing about.

On days when I'm in a rush, I quietly go down the stairs, managing to get to the bathroom before Baby S comes barging in.

"Where are you going, Lula?"

"I'm going to the bathroom."

"Lula, let's play."

"Wait, Sophie, Lula has to go the bathroom."

And with that, I close the door.

"Lula, open the door! I'm here! Sophie's here! Open the door!"

And now you know why it's so hard for me to get out the door most mornings ;)

My little door-buster

Chock-full of chocolates. Mom would not be pleased hehe

One Voice

2012-01-18T23:01:00.000-08:00

Find your voice, she told me.

Of all the lessons that my favorite English professor taught me, this was the one that I kept to heart. And so when I read this heartbreaking essay by Christopher Hitchens, I did so with tears.

I miss his voice already.

Unspoken Truths
Until cancer attacked his vocal cords, the author didn’t fully appreciate what was meant by “a writer’s voice,” or the essential link between speech and prose. As a man who loved to talk, he turns to the masters of such conversation, both in history and in his own circle.

By Christopher Hitchens

Like so many of life’s varieties of experience, the novelty of a diagnosis of malignant cancer has a tendency to wear off. The thing begins to pall, even to become banal. One can become quite used to the specter of the eternal Footman, like some lethal old bore lurking in the hallway at the end of the evening, hoping for the chance to have a word. And I don’t so much object to his holding my coat in that marked manner, as if mutely reminding me that it’s time to be on my way. No, it’s the snickering that gets me down.

On a much-too-regular basis, the disease serves me up with a teasing special of the day, or a flavor of the month. It might be random sores and ulcers, on the tongue or in the mouth. Or why not a touch of peripheral neuropathy, involving numb and chilly feet? Daily existence becomes a babyish thing, measured out not in Prufrock’s coffee spoons but in tiny doses of nourishment, accompanied by heartening noises from onlookers, or solemn discussions of the operations of the digestive system, conducted with motherly strangers. On the less good days, I feel like that wooden-legged piglet belonging to a sadistically sentimental family that could bear to eat him only a chunk at a time. Except that cancer isn’t so ... considerate.

Most despond-inducing and alarming of all, so far, was the moment when my voice suddenly rose to a childish (or perhaps piglet-like) piping squeak. It then began to register all over the place, from a gruff and husky whisper to a papery, plaintive bleat. And at times it threatened, and now threatens daily, to disappear altogether. I had just returned from giving a couple of speeches in California, where with the help of morphine and adrenaline I could still successfully “project” my utterances, when I made an attempt to hail a taxi outside my home—and nothing happened. I stood, frozen, like a silly cat that had abruptly lost its meow. I used to be able to stop a New York cab at 30 paces. I could also, without the help of a microphone, reach the back row and gallery of a crowded debating hall. And it may be nothing to boast about, but people tell me that if their radio or television was on, even in the next room, they could always pick out my tones and know that I was “on,” too...

More Fun Talaga!

2012-01-12T23:52:00.000-08:00

Finally found the time to make some more fun...

Snake Island, Palawan

Somewhere in Ilocos

Matabungkay, Batangas

Butterfly Farm, Palawan

Cudugnon Cave, El Nido

Hey There, Cowboy!

2012-01-11T06:59:00.000-08:00

Confession: In my more than four decades on this planet, I had never once found myself on top of a horse. When I was little, I remember my classmates talking about how they had their first horse ride in Baguio. But all I remember of our family trips to Baguio was that there was a lot of eating and sleeping and climbing up and down steep stairs. No horse.

So I was nervous as hell when Sheriff Gabby of El Kabayo asked his boys to prep a horse for me. I was like, "Me? Get on a horse? Are you kidding?!!" Immediately, I imagined myself falling off Silver without having said, "Hi ho!"

But because life is so woefully short and you've got to try everything once, and really it would just be embarrassing not to do it, I hopped on Silver. Actually, his name was Razzle Dazzle, I think. I wasn't thinking straight Mwahahaha

Fortunately, Silver was thinking straight. And despite my nervous laughter and my inexperienced butt, we rode off to the sunset like the best of them cowboys. The End!

Riding Silver

Shooting the breeze with Sheriff Gabby

El Kabayo looks very much like a movie set...

... with a prop donated by our very own cowboy, Lito Lapid

Nice cowboy butt

Hanging out with my nephew, RB

What a Sweet Surprise

2012-01-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

I love this picture of me and Baby S. I really thought that with four kids, I wouldn't have any love left for another baby. How naive I was! There's just so much love to give, I've found, which is such a sweet surprise for a cynic like me :)

Six Years After

2012-01-06T07:45:00.000-08:00

My sister B sent me these two photographs of me and my kids.

The first one was taken six years ago on new year's day. With my sister B and her husband, we drove up to Tagaytay.

That was then...

This is now, on the eve of the new year...

Can you spot the difference? :)

For starters, the boys are all taller than me. They're just massive these days! F and K are now wearing eyeglasses; they got my poor eyesight gene, among other things. S is still waif-thin but as tall as ever. E is still so pretty with that easy smile; Baby S was already fast asleep. And K wouldn't be caught dead now hugging me like he did six years ago. Not a chance! Mwahahaha

Six years, just like that!!

Am happy at the way those six years turned out, and happier still that they've all grown up to be such good kids. Happiness! :)

Happy 2012! :)

2011-12-31T03:08:00.001-08:00

Last of the Christmas Notes :)

2011-12-31T01:51:00.000-08:00

I didn't have any problems hunting down gifts for my kids this Christmas because they all wanted money: E because she's dead broke, S because he's still paying off his Tita B for his expensive Experia phone, K because he cleaned out his savings account, and F. Well, F is the saver among the four. He has the most of the four, but he just wants more.

Good thing there's Baby S. Because of her, I still have an excuse to go to the toy store. Because she so loves ice cream, I got her a Play-Doh ice cream maker. I love Play-Doh, which is so not the clay of my childhood, the kind that lodges inside fingernails. Nope, Play-Doh smells nice, comes in neon colors, and is so easy to clean!

Mom said she wasn't going to cook, but when we arrived, there was ham on the table and chicken in the oven. Mwahahahaha Sarap ng ham with bread and potato salad! Winner!

After mass on Christmas day, the only time of the year that I ever go to mass, we had dinner out. Could you see the guy behind my Dad and K? He gifted that girl with the long hair a MacBook Air!!! As in!! Right there in Gloriamaris, they opened their gifts for each other, and he gave her a MacBook Air!!! Waahh!! Sino siya?!

And because everybody wanted to celebrate, even those of us who didn't get a MacBook Air for Christmas (Mwahahaha), almost every table, I think, ordered Peking Duck. The result: Naubusan ng litsugas! Mwahahaha I wanted to run to the supermarket just so I could make myself another duck-lettuce sandwich :)

Hope you had as much fun over the holidays as we did! :)

Christmas Notes 4

2011-12-29T20:37:00.000-08:00

With my kids all grown up, I get to let them help me out in my little projects. Actually, it's more like forcing them than letting them; that's just one of the benefits of being The Mom. And that's how the boys and I set up our little lasagna factory at my Mom's on the eve of Christmas.

Making lasagna is one major production. I never attempt to do it unless I am physically and mentally prepared. I've got to have lots of time on my hands and my mind has to be in the right place, the I-want-to-cook-my-ass-off place.

For starters, there's a lot of slicing and dicing of the ingredients for the red sauce. Then you've got to storm up the white sauce while cooking the lasagna. Afterwards, you've got to combine all the components together, layer after layer. Whew!

Fortunately, I had three pairs of hands to help me out. While K and I took care of the slicing and dicing, S prepared the lasagna. Afterwards, K cooked the white sauce. Together, the three of us made our own lasagna assembly line. Because F had a bit of a cough, he was relegated to covering the trays with foil.

That afternoon, we were able to make a dozen trays of delicious lasagna. We could have made more but we ended up eating some of the pasta splashed with globs of the two sauces while putting them all together. It was good!

F wrapping 'em up

Part of the lasagna assembly team

Baby S nibbling on the pasta

Christmas Notes 3

2011-12-29T19:08:00.000-08:00

Overheard after the screening of Tom Cruise's Ghost Protocol.

Guy 1: Naku, siguradong may MI-5 pa 'yan.
Guy 2: Ha?! Eh, baka mukha na siyang lolo non!
Guy 1: Ikaw naman!

I totally understand Guy 2. No amount of concealer could hide those double bags under his eyes, especially when magnified a hundred million times. Of course, Tom will always be a cutie. But methinks his days as an action star in overwrought, over-choreographed, over-extended blast-my-ears kind of movies are numbered.

I was actually excited to see this one because I like Jeremy Renner. But really, it was just exhausting to watch. There was so much running all over the place. At one point, I closed my eyes for a few seconds to rest. When I opened them, there was Tom, still running after the bad guy. Hay! I miss the elegance of the original Mission Impossible.

P.S. D pointed out: There wasn't anybody taller than Tom. Or if they were, they'll be sitting like Ving Rhames Mwahahaha

Christmas Notes 2

2011-12-29T02:37:00.000-08:00

A few days before Christmas, my Mom calls me and says, "I won't be cooking this Christmas. You have to cook." Of course, I've heard her say this a thousand times before, but this time I kinda sorta believed her. She was tired, she said.

I was planning to cook lasagna for Christmas, but I didn't want it to be the centerpiece of the Noche Buena. I was thinking that it could be the afterthought dish, when everybody has had their fill of the main event. But Mom's voice sounded threatening. When I said I was cooking lasagna, she immediately agreed and added that I should make my potato salad as well.

Oh boy! To say that I was nervous is an understatement. My parents are good cooks. And there have been a number of times that they've made some cute comments about my cooking. Once you're tagged as the incompetent cook in the family, there's no crawling your way out of it. Once, when my Dad found out that I was cooking dinner, he pointedly said, "Eh di sa labas na tayo kumain." Mwahahaha

Anyway, when we arrived at my Mom's on the 24th, the stove was already bursting to the seams with all sorts of dishes. There was Morcon and Embotido and Roasted Chicken and Baked Ham. I should have known that Mom wouldn't be able to keep herself away from the kitchen Mwahahahaha

Christmas Notes 1

2011-12-29T01:28:00.001-08:00

I'm enjoying today. I woke up past ten in the morning, and apart from whipping up some savory fried rice out of the bunch of leftovers in the fridge, I haven't been out of my room since. Mostly I've been lounging around my bed, occasionally checking my mail, occasionally trying to get some work done. But generally, I've just been lazing about. What is it about Christmas that could turn even the most workaholic of creatures into the softest of slouches?

Anyway, some quick notes on Christmas.

My daughter E, who's doing her internship at Starbucks, invited me to one of her Christmas events. And there, I saw a bunch of angels with really cool wings.

Santa D, please give me some wings :)

Some of the stuff that the angels had us munching.

My daughter E, feeling busy like a real marketing executive.

Almost forgot that on her first suweldo, she treated us to McDonald's (Bakit hindi Starbucks? Mwahahahaha).

Where Baby S ate a bunch of fries, became friendly with the teens on the next table, and took off her shoes :)

Mindanao Needs Heroes!

2011-12-18T00:59:00.000-08:00

Sparkly Streets

2011-12-16T20:40:00.000-08:00

Oh Christmas! If not for the hellish traffic and the wall-to-wall people at the malls, it's definitely a most magical season. Every year, I look forward to all the twinkling lights that dress up the streets. I love walking down those streets, bathed in their shiny sparkle.

Unfortunately, there's none of that sparkle at our home this year. By the time I realized that I should be putting up Christmas decorations, I was at the hospital with my youngest son. When we got home, I remembered that the Christmas tree got lost in the move to our new home. And I was just too exhausted at the time to go hunting for the box that says "Christmas decor." Oh well...

To be honest, Christmas caught me quite by surprise this year. The season was already right smack in my face when it dawned on me that I should already be doing some shopping. And so, in between meetings and deadlines, I've taken quick trips to the malls, hoping to finish my list a week before D-day.

Yesterday was supposed to be my last day of Christmas shopping. Because I was going to be in the city to pick up stuff for a shoot on Monday, I thought I could finish my shopping then. But when it took me 90 minutes to get to White Plains from Makati, I knew that I wasn't going to make it, and that I would have to join thousands of other people dashing to the stores a few days before Christmas. And so, not wanting to go back to the sparkly streets and face mind-numbing traffic, I went to the salon and had my nails done. The shopping would just have to wait :)

E Graduates!

2011-12-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Another reason to be thankful: E graduates next year! Yehey!!!

Summer in December

2011-12-13T21:08:00.000-08:00

Is it really December?! Well, you could have fooled me because I'm sweating like a pig here. But truth to tell, the year felt like one endless summer. Having scored a gig at a travel zine, I got the opportunity to visit some glorious destinations. My favorite thus far? Eskaya, definitely!

For the three days and two nights that I was there, it felt like I was in some kind of posh deserted island with room service

... where you can order this delicious Tuna Tartare with some wasabi mayo

... or take long walks around the resort, getting glimpses of Bohol Sea. Ang ganda talaga ng Pilipinas!

... or order up some cocktails at the pool bar. I didn't get to hang out there so much though

... because my villa had its own pool, and jacuzzi!! It was insane!

... it was heaven!!

Flannel Pajamas

2011-12-12T06:56:00.000-08:00

At the hospital, K and I caught City of Angels, a sob-fest of a movie with Meg Ryan as a stressed-out surgeon and Nicolas Cage as a cutie pie angel. Although I love the soundtrack, I found the movie sappy and predictable. However, there is that one scene right at the very beginning where Cage asks a little girl, who had just died minutes ago, what she liked best. And she said simply, pajamas.

I'm in a feel-good mode, so here, just some of the things that I like best--so far :)

... biting into the sweet, soft flesh of a ripe, yellow mango
... the smiles and the slurps of my kids when I've prepared a particularly delicious meal
... playing with words
... curling up with a book
... the classics
... the smell of newborn babies
... holding hands
... sharing silences
... my mom's embrace
... my kids
... lying on the beach, listening to the crashing of waves, the sun beating down on my face
... laughing
... eskaya
... drowning in music while writing away
... chocolate
... finding a new TV series for lazy Sunday marathons
... Christmas

I searched for the particular clip with the flannel pajamas, but couldn't find it, so the trailer would have to do.

I Want More!!

2011-12-11T19:06:00.001-08:00

Yes to more!!

from B's Pinterest :)

Thank You

2011-12-11T05:52:00.001-08:00

And so there we were, my youngest son K and I, sitting on a hospital bed. That morning, he had been playing with his friends in school. He ran towards something, I don't know what, and to everybody's surprise he slipped and fell, his forehead first hitting a table before the back of his head hit the cement floor. They all heard a loud thud, and when his classmates tried to help him up, K experienced some kind of seizure. His teachers immediately rushed him to the ER.

There is no greater nightmare for a parent.

I still cannot describe how I felt at the time, which is surprising because I'm supposed to be the one with the words, but when I eventually saw K in the hospital bed, smiling, my heart leapt. I would have wept, if not for the presence of my sister, her husband, and my eldest son F.

And so there we were, my youngest son K and I, sitting on a hospital bed. His X-rays and CT scan had come in clear, but his doctors wanted to observe him for the next 24 hours. At first, he didn't do much talking, but eventually, he did a lot of questioning. Because he couldn't exactly remember what happened, he asked me to tell him what his teachers told me, and I did.

As we talked, I could only thank God and the heavens for the gift that was my son. In my head, over and over again, I was just saying thank you, thank you, thank you. Once again, I was overwhelmed with the thought of how precious life is, and how unexpected things could happen, just like that. And that's when I hugged my son, and said once again that I love him.

P.S. The next day, K's classmates visited him and told him what happened. They told him how everybody prayed for his swift recovery and how their Facebook walls were filled with news of what happened to him. When he was finally discharged, one of the first things that K did when he got home was check his Facebook account.

Red

2011-12-07T06:35:00.001-08:00

The other week I went to my hair colorist. It's been quite some time since my last visit, and she gently chided me about the sad state of my hair color. Apart from my natural jet black hair, there were the whites and grays of my forty-something years, the deep brown from my last coloring session, and the light brown from I-don't-know-where.

I was feeling a bit adventurous that day and so I said, "Let's make me a redhead today." Of course, I know that I can't really make my hair red, but something a bit brighter than deep brown would definitely be more exciting. She asked, "Wouldn't you want to be blonde?" "But I'm not maputi!" I told her, as if being red is exactly natural for a morena like me Mwahahaha

Anyway, we looked at the color chart and decided that a shade of Copper Mahogany, whatever that is, would suit me fine. I wouldn't become a redhead, that's for sure, but there would definitely be shades of red. As it turned, there were more than shades of red, and when I'm out under the sun, I am some kind of redhead!

Call me Ronald! Mwahahaha

Teysi ng Tahanan

2011-12-03T08:28:00.000-08:00

It was probably one of the most exhilarating interviews I've ever done. One minute she was bawling her eyes out, the next she was singing a track from Evita. I am talking about the wonderful Tessie Tomas.

I was speaking with her son Robin, when she walked in. And immediately, she said something like, 'Hay naku, Robin, be careful. Ang YES!, pati mga ah at eh, nilalagay.' Mwahahaha I could only laugh in agreement.

I love this woman. She's very sharp, and very witty, and I could so relate to her single mom stuff. And guess what? Her son Robin is just as witty--and hilarious, too.

Here's an excerpt of that interview from the December issue of YES!

It’s a story straight out of the movies. A young fashion designer, who’s only in his thirties, wins a design contest. As part of his prize, his work gets to be sold at Bloomingdale’s, the iconic American department store that features an extensive selection of the latest designer fashions.

For any fashion designer, to have work displayed and sold at Bloomingdale’s is a big deal. Bloomingdale’s, after all, is where you find the wares of such globally recognized designers as Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, and Michael Kors.

For an unknown fashion designer, to be at Bloomingdale’s is nothing short of a miracle! And that’s exactly what happened to Robin Tomas, the only son of celebrated actress and comedienne Tessie Tomas.

A fine arts graduate of the University of the Philippines, Robin always knew he’d make a career in the arts. He just didn’t imagine that he’d be dressing beautiful women in the process, and doing so in New York City!

I had a video of Ms. Teysi singing a number from Cats. Sadly, one of my sons deleted it from my memory card. Sayang!

Love is Love

2011-12-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

Baby S wasn’t feeling well the other day. She woke up with a fever and slept the entire morning. When I visited her in the afternoon, all cuddled up in bed with a blanket, she held my arms and said, “Lula, sit.” And so, despite the fact that I was in the middle of deadlines, I sat with Baby S and eventually cuddled up to her until she fell asleep.

A couple of hours later, just before sunset, Baby S was feeling much better. She was able to eat, watch a little TV, and play with my son K. But when it was >time for bed, she didn’t want to leave our house. She insisted on going upstairs with Lula. And so we climbed up the stairs to my room, she with her milk and her “pampin” (her nappies, which is her security blanket of sorts) and me with my book and a glass of water.

Scoot on http://www.smartsuperwomen.com/2011/11/love-is-love/ for more :)

Getting in the Mood

2011-11-22T04:16:00.000-08:00

One day the sun's beating down on me, and the next it's raining like crazy. It's no wonder then that I'm feeling a little bit under the weather. And so while tapping out another story, I'm listening to Ella in the hope that her suave, smooth voice could nurse me into wellness--or at least get me in the mood for the holidays :)

The Library

2011-11-21T04:36:00.000-08:00

Right smack in the middle of a city tour, I found myself within the quiet confines of a library. When I was in college, I spent a lot of time at the library. I loved walking through its quiet halls, looking at all those shelves with all those books, and imagining that I'd get to read them all one day.

Of course, I didn't get to read all of them. Because after a couple of semesters, I got involved in things other than studying. They didn't involve that much reading, but boy did I learn!

But whenever I have to get serious with a subject, I would run to the library. I would work on my research papers, go through dozens of books, and would be delighted no end when I found what it was that I was looking for. These days, students just Google and everything comes out with one click. Not the same.

I was raised by my parents to be a reader, and I could get lost in that library for hours--and without the benefit of cell phones, I could choose not to be found. Those days were precious!

Craving

2011-11-19T21:19:00.000-08:00

Every so often, I'll get this great big hankering for certain types of food. Usually it's chocolate. I once wolfed down a humongous bar of Hershey's Milk Bar in the course of a few hours while writing, editing, and just surfing. I think it was a one pounder, and I don't think I'd be able to do that sort of thing again.

At other times, I'd long for my mom's slow-cooked super meaty spaghetti sauce or my dad's almost gooey Pata Beans, sometimes with a bone of ham thrown in making it extra tasty.

And then there were those fateful few months a couple of years ago that I had to order sisig whenever I saw it on the menu (Don't ask, I don't know why either). So I ate sisig everywhere from Manila to Marikina, and from Cagayan de Oro to Camiguin. The one in Camiguin was really super hot, and the only way we could finish it off was to drink it with lots of beer! Ayos!

A few weeks ago, it was onion rings. And I didn't think that I'd finally satisfy that craving in a Korean restaurant, a couple of hours from Manila no less!

It was hot, we were famished, and so we just practically ordered everything off the menu at Koko Buri in Clark. The utensils were quite big, the better to match our big appetites.

Of course, we all know about BonChon. Apart from kimchi, I suppose Fried Chicken is another thing that Koreans cook well. This one was gorgeously fried, crisp on the outside, but juicy on the inside (I sound like a commercial mwahahaha!).

The Vongole was a bit on the sweetish side, so didn't really appeal to me that much. I know what you're thinking, what's Vongole doing in a Korean restaurant?

For that matter, what's pizza doing in a Korean restaurant? Mwahahaha Well, it turns out that it's not so much a Korean restaurant, but a restaurant owned by a Korean. The pizza was good though.

And the piece de resistance: Onion Rings!!! Yipee! Really big onions cooked in a tasty thin batter. It was lovely!

Veggie Expensive!

2011-11-17T22:04:00.001-08:00

On the way home from Tagaytay, I got a bit excited when I saw a night market in Sta. Rosa. For the past few weeks, the prices of veggies have just gone a bit crazy. I remember going through the supermarket aisles in search of some sili, the long green ones. I was going to make some ginataang gulay and wanted to cook it with lots of sili. When I saw that a tiny pack costs P45, I said goodbye to the sili. Hello! At the palengke, the tindera would usually just give a handful for free.

A few days later, I went to the palengke. The prices weren't as horrible, but still not so very affordable. Plus, no libreng sili!

D couldn't understand why I got so excited about seeing the Sta. Rosa Market. But well, I thought that since Sta. Rosa is still technically in the provinces, the veggies would be cheaper. Well, not really! Two small bags added up to more than P300--for veggies only! Hay! Anyway, I was happy because I was able to score fresh Salay Guinto, easy to cook and yummy!

I thought maybe it's time for a trip to Quiapo where the prices are incredibly cheap. However, my sister B told me that the veggies are quite costly there too (This photo was taken early this year, so the prices, I'm sure, are not the same).

My dad tells me that the storms and intermittent rains jacked up the prices of veggies. And with the holiday season upon us, it's not likely to go down anytime soon. Well, goodbye veggie lasagna. It's good that I still get some form of entertainment (thanks Baby S!) when I go grocery shopping.

Happy B!

2011-11-07T04:12:00.000-08:00

If there's one thing I miss about my old day job, it's walking into B's cubicle, sitting in one of her chairs, and then gabbing about anything and everything. Sometimes, we'd chat every two weeks or so. Sometimes, it would be months before we had time to talk. But always, when we start chatting, it feels like we were just continuing a previous conversation. It didn't matter that we hadn't seen each other for some time, what mattered was that we were still there. Here's to our continuing conversation! Love ya, B!

My favorite photograph of B taken during a Bora vacation ten thousand years ago.

The birthday girl who doesn't look a year older, promise!

BFF K, who organized the whole shebang

Oh so Yummy!!

Candy girls!

With my former neighbor, Mama M

E! Nasaan na ang cake at chismis?!! Tampo na ko nyan! Mwahahaha

B, one last time :)

Beauty Queen

2011-11-06T00:38:00.000-07:00

I remember getting a call in the middle of my birthday dinner from my editor, telling me about the details of this upcoming interview. After the call, my mom goes to me and says, "It's your birthday." And I go, "It's OK, mom. Exciting naman yung interview."

And it turned out to be really exciting! We loved talking to Shamcey. We loved picking her brains. In fact, we could have picked her brains for hours, if only she wasn't so busy. Here's an excerpt from the latest issue of YES!

"When Shamcey Supsup walked on the stage of the Araneta Coliseum as Binibining Pilipinas Universe on April 10, not a few of her friends and colleagues were surprised. After all, she was hardly their idea of the typical beauty queen. She wasn’t fond of makeup, using only sunblock because her job as an architect often required working under the sun during site visits. She didn’t know how to wear heels, preferring the comfort of sneakers so that she could walk through construction sites with ease. And before joining the Binibining Pilipinas 2011 pageant, she had never worn a swimsuit. In fact, she didn’t even own one.

Shamcey likes telling the story of how she once got booted out of a public swimming pool. She was then taking up architecture at the University of the Philippines.
“I wanted to swim, but I didn’t want to wear shorts,” she recalls. “Parang it was an outing for our organization. ’Tapos, pinahiram ako ng jogging pants, nag-swimming ako. ’Tapos, bawal daw. Pinaalis ako sa pool… Lagi kong ’kinukuwento ’yon… Napahiya talaga ko.”

Here, some photos from the shoot...

Shamcey walked into the studio looking all fresh despite her very busy schedule

G, our art director, shows Shamcey how to vogue it

Look at those legs! They seem to go on forever!

Fooling around with B

No One Here Gets Out Alive

2011-11-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

I was looking at my calendar about 14 days ago, and remember telling myself, "How will I ever get out of this week alive?!" Everything just happened. I had bought the tickets months ago, thinking that I could fit it in my schedule, even if it's right smack in the middle of the week. The beach road trip had to be arranged in a jiffy because of deadline considerations. As for the fiesta? Well, I couldn't very well reschedule that! Mwahahaha

So here goes that week filled with far too many road trips, a couple of hours jumping up and down to Fergie, eating way too much and drinking way too little, and one blissful night of watching shooting stars.

E was my date when the Black Eyed Peas made it a very good night. I fell in love with Black Eyed when I loaded my son S’s playlist on mine. From then on, they’d occasionally serve as my soundtrack as I go about my writing life. I remember one super long night when I had to finish my Shamcey story with Black Eyed blaring in my room, it was a blast! Of course, the concert was a thousand times better (I love the costumes!!!). I kept forgetting that I was in my forties and had to take it easy with the jumping up and down to the music thing. But hey, you only live once! Mwahahaha!

The next morning found me sitting under this magnificent tree. The road trip to this eerily peaceful spot took the better part of three hours, most of which I spent sleeping. I was still high from the concert and the songs just kept playing inside my head all day.

In the middle of this heady week, I found myself here, and I couldn’t have been happier. Sometimes, things can just spin way out of control and you find yourself crashing. But then, you’d see the setting sun, or gaze at a sky filled with stars, and you are filled once again with this sense of happiness at just being freaking alive!

And because I live in the Philippines, the week wouldn't have been complete without an all-out fiesta with rock bands blasting out my eardrums and the town folks telling me to please eat some more!

Hell of a week!

Sunday Shutdown

2011-10-23T03:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, six days is just not enough to finish all the things that I need to do for the week.

Apart from my usual writing and editing chores, which I do in the comfort of my bedroom, there are interviews to be done and shoots to be attended, sometimes in places not so very near. There are bills to be paid, mail to be answered, errands to be done, and papers to be sorted out.

There are dishes to be cooked, which will go straight to the freezer for the kids to reheat during the week. There are clothes to have laundered, water to have delivered, grass to have cut, and the kitchen roof that needs to have some sealant plastered over because of the incessant rain. There is my bedroom to be cleaned, which I always never do, unless I absolutely have to.

Want to read more? Click here.

Solar Wind

2011-10-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

20 Hz from Semiconductor on Vimeo.

Okay, this is what a magnetic storm looks like, taking place in the Earth's upper atmosphere, captured at 20 hertz. Absolutely beautiful!

Still Kicking Ass

2011-10-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

I rarely read the news. The way I see it, between chasing after deadlines and running after my kids, I'm stressed enough as it is. I know that sounds so apathetic of me, but well, what can I do? I want to live long enough to see Baby S grow into a fine, young lady. Besides, if I need to catch up on current events, I'd just have to ask D, and he'll reel off all the facts like I was watching CNN.

So when KV told me to proceed to the Makati City Hall to interview taekwondo champion-action star-Dawn Zulueta's former flame Monsour del Rosario, I was like, what's he doing in city hall? A friend told me in exasperation, "Jing! He's a councilor now!" Ah, okay, right! Heehee

Reminds me of the time when K told me about the boys who got shot in a mall.
J: Who got shot?
K: The teenaged boys!
J: What? Teenagers?
K: Jing, please read the news.
J: Ah, okay! Heehee

Anyway, I walk into Monsour's office and I must say that he is still as fit as a fiddle. I love his energy. It's like there's this live wire inside the room who talks a mile a minute. But I love it more that his three-year-old daughter Isabel is close by, playing while waiting for daddy.

Here's an excerpt:

At 47, Monsour del Rosario has none of the sagging beer belly or the slowly slacking jaw line characteristic of men his age. He is lean and tall with the commanding presence of someone who’s used to being the center of attention. Any man, even those younger than him, would think twice about messing around with him.

But Monsour wasn’t always this way.

In grade school, he was a small, skinny kid who regularly got a beating from the bigger boys. Bruised and bloodied, he must have wished that he could be more like his idol, Bruce Lee.

“As a boy, my fantasy was to be a hero like Bruce Lee in his movies. I found him so cool. I wanted to be a tough, cool cat like him. That drove me to the perfection of my art,” says Monsour.

Bruce Lee and the beatings got Monsour into martial arts, first training in Moo Duk Kwan with his uncle Joe Lopez Vito and then later studying Soutokan with Mike Vasquez. It wasn’t until he got into high school, however, that Monsour got into taekwondo, and it wasn’t until his senior year that he got really serious about it. But he did, and the rest, well, we all know what happened next.

And here's the story on Impact. It's a magazine for golfers. And no, I don't play golf heehee

The Big Ouchie

2011-10-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

I've never been fond of hospitals. Whenever I find myself in one for long stretches of time, I get kinda sick inside. I imagine my body being invaded by all sorts of intruders. It doesn't help that hospitals don't exactly conjure up pleasant memories. My Tito E passed away in one after days of experiencing excruciating pain.

When my daughter E told me that Baby S had to be confined to the hospital, my heart went out to my two-and-a-half-year-old apo. She's too young to be cooped up in a sterile room and hooked to an IV! But over a couple of days last week, she had developed red rashes that turned into big purplish blotches that had us all worried.

And so there was Baby S, all bored and restless as we waited for the results of her tests. She points to her right hand, the one where they got her hooked up to an IV, and calls it big ouchie. She cuddles up to her mom. She gets down and starts running around while we chase after with the IV stand. She sits next to me, pretends big ouchie is a toy car, and runs it all over my face. And every so often, the hospital staff would come in to give her medicine or get some more blood for more tests, and our bored and restless Baby S would become a howling, growling toddler throwing a big, fat tantrum.

Her tests came out okay, and Baby S is fine now. Hope we don't see the hospital anytime soon.

Breaking Sushi

2011-10-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

Most of our high school classmates are now scattered across the globe: New Zealand, Australia, England, California, what-have-you. And whenever one of them comes home for a quick visit, somebody always makes it a point to arrange a catch-up dinner.

When Rasty came home a few years ago, we were surprised that he was now way heftier than when we saw him last. Unfortunately, living abroad didn't do his skin color any good. He was still as dark as an eggplant Mwahahaha Okay, maybe a little lighter. One of the first things he said was this: "Why do you guys all look so good?!" I suppose he wanted us to look not so good, so that he'll look way better. Too bad! Mwahahahaha He was still the same Rasty after all these years!

And so, when his sparring partner Norman came home a few weeks ago, I expected no less than Rasty's biting sense of humor. But, well, Norms was always the sweeter one.

Amidst a table full of sushi, tempura, katsudon, and sukiyaki, Norman tried his best to answer all our burning questions: When did you start losing your hair? Why did you start losing your hair? How did you end up with a fantastic girl like Penny? Really, how did you end up with Penny? Seriously, how did you end up with Penny?

It was a fun night where some long-lost secrets were revealed and another sweet guy got a good ribbing (Thanks for being such a good sport, B! Love you, C!). I like meeting up with these guys because we can tease each other to death just like we used to when we were wearing plaid skirts and pencil-cut pants. Mwahahaha

Ooops, Norms, what's that you're covering up?

Was so hungry, I think I ate a whole basket all by myself hehe

Present!

Norms, Penny, and Phoebe

Class of 1985! Has it really been that long?!!

Noel

2011-10-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

Last night, I discovered Noel Cabangon. Of course I've heard about him, but I've never had the opportunity to listen to his music. But when A invited us to My Brother's Mustache in Scout Tuazon, I was more than curious. Besides, the past week had been quite challenging and the opportunity to get a bit sloshed while listening to good music was too enticing.

We drive up to this dimly lit, folksy-looking bar, which brought back all these memories of my Tita Rita and Tita Batoy and Tito Boyet and their barkada, which they called Tribu Royale (yeah!). I lived at their house in Caloocan for a year and was always fascinated by their bell-bottomed outfits and their music. On stage were pictures of all the music gods they idolized and revered: Jimi Hendrix, John Denver, Mick Jagger, James Taylor, and all those other guys that made that era look so cool!

Anyway, when Noel C finally came on, I was just mesmerized. Song after song, his velvety smooth voice wrapped me in this cocoon of rhapsody and reminiscence. I particularly loved it when he sang his own tunes or covers of OPMs. Mas masarap pakinggan kasi tagos sa puso!

After his set, we got to hang out with him as he drank a glass of wine, feasted on pinaputok na tilapia, and talked about his adventures as a pescatarian. Great Saturday night!

Noel C with Mick and James. Where's Jim?!

Tagay na!

Catching Up With October

2011-10-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

I've got a lot of catching up to do because just like that, it's October! I blame my online absence on the many weekends I celebrated my birthday, on the many days I devoted to work, and on other unexpected events that came my way.

To start my catch up, here's a little something I did for my newest gig, Turista.

"I am only a few minutes away from home, but I might as well have been in some kind of paradise. I am lounging at the pool area of The Bellevue Hotel. True there is a bit of a drizzle, but I refuse to let a little shower rain on my parade. Having been on stress mode for weeks, I wanted some peace and quiet. And now, here I am: 24 hours with nothing to do except hang out in the only five-star hotel in Southern Metro Manila.

A resident of the South, I am well acquainted with The Bellevue. Before it opened its doors in 2003, we had to go all the way to Makati to enjoy luxury accommodations. That the Bellevue Group has flourished through the years—they’ve added a new wing and put up B Hotel at Madrigal Business Park—comes as no surprise. The Bellevue staff understands the meaning of good customer service. The buffet at Café d’ Asie always comes up with a good selection of tasty dishes. Its newly opened Chinese restaurant Phoenix Court is fast becoming a favorite. And of course, its Grand Ballroom is the must-book destination for people celebrating special occasions."

The yummy buffet at Cafe d'Asie

The view from my room

My friends and I once had a sleepover here

Here's the issue :)

44

2011-09-26T01:23:00.000-07:00

My college roommate M once observed that I always did everything ahead of everybody else. And in some respects, well, that's true.

While my playmates were busy with their cups and saucers, I was busy with my little crushes. I started having babies while my girlfriends were knee-deep into their careers. And by the time they started throwing birthday parties for their children, I was, for all intents and purposes, a single mother.

When I became a grandmother two years ago, one of my friends, who was still happily single, walked up to me and said, "Jing, I don't even have a kid yet and you have a grandchild?! Pressure!!"

I've never been much of a sprinter, so I don't really know why I've been rushing all this time. Fortunately, all this rushing has its unintended benefits.

At 44, I could sort of see the finish line, at least as far as steering my kids towards their futures is concerned. This is my eldest's last year in college, and my second's first. My third is on his last year in high school, and my youngest on his second. With a little bit of arithmetic, I gather that I'd be working like a dog for the next four years, but after that ... after ... I could take things a little easier. And this thought just excites me no end!

What would it be like, I wonder, to not be singularly responsible for the lives of four individuals? I'll be their mom for the rest of their lives, of course, but just the thought of not having to buy Finetti and shaving foam and hotdogs and Nido Junior, unless I wanted to, is quite a thrill. I'd probably end up sleeping till two in the afternoon, and I won't even be 50! Mwahahahaha Coolness!

Seriously, I can't wait!

Pregnant Pause

2011-09-21T00:31:00.000-07:00

And so she goes to me: “How many months are you along?”

I am at the Pregnant Pause event of Urban Mom and I have never seen so many pregnant women in my life! Because it’s an affair exclusively for expectant moms, L naturally assumed I was pregnant as well. OK folks, I am not pregnant. Let’s not give my mom, who just got out of the hospital yesterday, a heart attack Mwahahahaha

Anyway, I love it that all these pregnant women were just blooming oh-so beautifully. Apart from being in such a happy and exciting phase in their lives, they were also dressed quite fashionably in clingy maxi-dresses that showed off their beautiful bellies and V-neck dresses that highlighted their gorgeous cleavages.

I love it that today’s pregnant women have embraced their burgeoning shapes, which is so unlike the time when I first got pregnant almost two decades ago. Back then, maternity dresses concealed rather than highlighted those curves. Pity! This maybe why I couldn't find any photograph of me pregnant. I must have thrown all those pictures away because I looked like a big fat blob in my maternity wear mwahahaha

Here, some snapshots courtesy of Mommy Mundo from that wonderful afternoon!

Rome asked a very simple question: When you start going on labor, where do you go? And you know what, for a couple of long seconds, nobody could answer her! Mwahahaha

Two of my favorite mommies, Janice and Rome

OK, that's me playing paparazzi. Notice anything? There were a lot of dads who came, which is such a delightful surprise!

Love her outfit, and her baby girl!

Love her dress and the way it clings to her curves

Another one of my favorite moms, Lexi, shares some advice to her fellow moms

Isn't it obvious what a blast we had?

I don't quite remember the joke, but I sure was trying hard not to laugh

... OK, can't help myself Mwahahahahaha

I blame my maxi-dress for the how-many-months-along-are-you question Mwahahahaha

Margaritas at Fred's

2011-09-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

There was much laughter that night.

After months of not seeing each other, there we all were drinking margaritas and munching on bagnet. I'm turning 44 this month, so of course, the girls and I had to get together, catch up and celebrate. G talked about the highs and lows of running a pub. R told us of her Baby R's antics. P told us where Aga really is. D shared a bit of shoptalk and I shared some pictures of my latest adventures.

Fred's Revolucion, the pub that G owns with her partner D [who cooks!!], is a nice little speakeasy that reminds me of all those nights I spent drinking with my girlfriends. It's at Cubao X, which used to be Marikina Shop Expo and which is filled to the rafters with twenty-somethings. But no need to worry, Fred's ain't exactly for twenty-somethings. You won't find cheese sticks here (I think, if my alcohol-addled brain remembers right), instead they have whiskey and wine, and real food like bagnet and baboy ramo! Yes!

Taking a pause between bursts of wild laughter. J: G, I'm so glad you own this pub. Nobody's going to tell us to shut up. G: We can't get kicked out!

Last time D and I almost got silly drunk together was at her birthday party.

R was late because she had to drop off her daughter at her mom's place, but she more than made up for it with her crazy kuwentos. P couldn't even bring down her kubyertos for this photo, sarap kasi ng food!

OK, you'll see more of the food here. The thing that P just couldn't stop eating was Fred's version of Fish and Chips, cream dory in beer batter with lots of dilis! How's that for a combo?! Oh, and the potato chips were so good. I've only had a few of them, but when I looked at the plate, they were all gone! D was munching on them pala! D, another plate, pretty please!!

Had fun, girls! Mwah! Mwah! See you at Janylin's mwahahaha

Shoe Break!

2011-09-02T00:35:00.000-07:00

I was in the middle of one of my editing sprees when Baby S went up to me with a pair of shoes: "Lula shoes! Lula put!" I tried putting them on--pink mary janes with glittery sequins--but her feet had already outgrown the pair. And so, I asked her to get another pair. Off she went, only to give me another pair, which she had also outgrown. One by one, we tried them on until we found a pair that fit. By then, we had five pairs lined up on the floor, and stressed out Lula decided it was time for a break, time for a little photo shoot with the camera-friendly babe. And here she is :)

Sophie jump!

Sophie pose!

Sophie dance!

Sophie is wearing her favorite elephant slippers. So many pink shoes--obviously her mom's favorite color Mwahahaha

Lula makes a guest appearance Bwahahaha

A Hair Story Part 2

2011-09-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

You all know that my daughter has this thing about her hair. Well, finally, after years and years of doing all sorts of stuff to it, subjecting it to all sorts of treatments and other forms of "hair torture," she just let it go. A couple of weeks ago, she had her hair cut and let her curls run wild, and I must say that I like it. It looks good on her, don't you think? :)

Bike Crash

2011-08-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

BIKES - Crashing into love from Raoul Paulet on Vimeo.

OK, I'm not a cyclist, but seeing this video made me smile. It reminded me so much of A! Miss you, girl!

Art & Ravioli

2011-08-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

Every so often, my bestpren J and I would meet up to talk about anything and everything: work, family, life, love. Nothing is off limits! These meet-ups would usually last a couple of hours, sometimes the whole day even. And always, we learn something new about each other.

A couple of days ago, we wanted to meet for lunch at Gourdo's Cafe. Last time we were there, we had beer and pizza. Unfortunately, the cafe is now closed (Why so?) and so we hopped on the next restaurant, Tourne. Only a couple of weeks old, Tourne has a nice vibe to it. I love the all-white interiors, kinda reminds me of my bedroom. Tourne's chef is an advocate of the slow food movement. Everything served here is thus prepared by hand. Sort of reminds me of Ms. B's Tuckshop but more upscale.

J wasn't too hungry so she just ordered a shrimp and pesto pizza. Because I was hungry, I had a couple of slices of hers. The crust had the right kind of crunch, but I found the shrimps a bit dry.

I had some tomato soup to start. It was OK. The ravioli with ricotta cheese was delicious, but I was disappointed with the portion. There were only three pieces of ravioli topped with baby sweet potatoes. They just looked so lonely on the humongous plate. Since the dish was P308, it came out to P100 per ravioli. When I had dinner at 8 Spices a couple of days later, we had this lovely slow-cooked pork ribs in honey sauce. There were about five ribs in there in one order, which was priced at P320. I know it's not fair to compare, but I can't help it!!

Although my stomach was far from satisfied, my spirits weren't. J was handling the gala night of Manilart and I was able to get in before everybody else. While I was feasting on works of art, a choir was practicing for their number later on. Because their maestro was such a perfectionist, they kept going over and over Ikaw Lamang with their awesome voices. It was heaven!

Walk with me :)

Red roses

Embrace me

Yellow

Words

Shooting Lexi

2011-08-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

When you're a mom, you cannot help but be opinionated. After all, you are responsible for the lives of your children. If there's something that needs to be said, you'd blurt it out. That's exactly how my interview with Lexi Schulze went. She has very definitive ideas about how to raise her daughters and how to live her life. I love her!

Oh, and another thing. When we were setting up the interview, she asked if we would be done before lunch. I assumed that she had another appointment and so immediately said yes. After the shoot, as we were packing up, I thanked her for having us, adding that I hope she wasn't late for her next appointment. As it turns out, she didn't have anything scheduled after. She just wanted the shoot to be finished by lunch so that everybody could get on with their day. So nice of her to be considerate like that :)

Here, a couple of lines from Lexi's story:

It’s almost twelve in the afternoon. Lexi Schulze and her hubby Javi Berenguer Testa along with their daughters Alba and Bruna are sitting under a giant of a tree. True, the tree provides more than ample shade, but it’s almost noon. You’d think Lexi would complain, and rightly so because she has a six-month-old daughter to think of, but she doesn’t. Ever the professional, she smiles, asks her six-year-old daughter Alba to sit with her, and gamely poses with her husband. This is just another day in Lexi Schulze’s blissfully jam-packed life.

Shooting Lexi

Lexi just recently started painting. Here, one of her works.

Our makeup artist wanted to join Lexi's beautiful family ;)

Catch Lexi at Urban Mom :)

Stranded on a Hill

2011-08-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

Twice a week for the past year or so, I’ve found myself in Katipunan. When my dear friend R asked if I wanted to be a consultant for AHEAD Tutorial & Review Center, I agreed immediately. I am a nerd at heart, what can I say? Plus, it would take me back to the playground of my youth—the hills of Loyola.

I have many fond memories of Katipunan. Because my family lived all the way in Las Pinas, I had to live in a dormitory for most of my college years—first in a ladies’ boarding house in Esteban Abada, then inside the Ateneo at Eliazo Hall.

I remember when Katipunan was still a quiet haven of a community. My classmates and I would go to this carinderia beside a vulcanizing shop for a lunch of inihaw with rice; dinners I usually had at Anne’s, something with buttered beans. We would drink at this rundown place called Ambrosia’s. Shakey’s and KFC were the only fast-food joints thereabouts.

In the afternoons, we would run from Colayco Hall all the way to the University of the Philippines, first touching the Oblation before trotting home. In the middle of the night, my roommates and I would sometimes step out of the gates of the Ateneo and cross Katipunan to get us some siopao at Kowloon House.

That Katipunan is long gone.

Today, Loyola Heights is crowded with condominium buildings and mini-malls, banks and fast-food joints, and enough traffic to rival the streets of Bangkok. Progress has its price, I suppose, but the prize ain’t always pretty.

He's So Cute!!!

2011-08-18T06:03:00.000-07:00

Have a giggle on Anderson ;)

10 Things I Learned from Breastfeeding 4 Kids

2011-08-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

I breastfed all of my children. Yes, all four of them.

At the time, breastfeeding wasn’t the big thing that it is today. Still, I knew that I had to do it—something in my gut just told me that breastfeeding was the way to go.

And so, in a span of six or seven years (I had my kids about two years apart), I always had a little babe suckling on my teat. And here’s what I learned from all those seemingly endless days and nights…

1. Breastfeeding is still the best—and fastest—way to lose post-pregnancy weight. Forget about going on a diet. Breastfeeding your babe will help you shed those unwanted pounds. P.S. I was stick thin for most of those six or seven years.

2. Just because you have big boobs doesn’t mean you’ll have lots of milk—and vice versa. I think milk production has more to do with supply and demand than anything else. Your breasts will produce as much milk as your baby needs, so it’s best to keep your baby suckling. If you do it less frequently, it’s sort of a signal to your body to produce less milk as well.

3. Don’t ever forget to put on those nursing pads! When I started working, I’d sometimes forget to put on nursing pads. Lo and behold, I’d be in a meeting and I’d start feeling my milk come out, and I’d have to excuse myself and hurry to the bathroom. Boo!

Want to read more? Hop on to Smart Super Women

Mom at 40

2011-08-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

"I cannot believe you have twins!" I go. And A exclaims, "I cannot believe you're a Lula!"

A and I worked together years ago. When she took up a post in government, we lost touch. But fate has its way of bringing people together, and the other week, A and I found ourselves making chika in the middle of a rainy Wednesday afternoon. The hot topic, of course, was how she became a new mom at 40, and to twins no less!

I am thoroughly amazed whenever I hear of friends or acquaintances getting pregnant at 40. For me, these women are just incredible. At my age, I can't imagine going through the whole breastfeeding, waking up in the middle of the night, and changing nappies every two hours or so again. I can't imagine going through the panic and anxiety that comes whenever baby gets sick, or bumps his head on the table, or falls off the bed. Honestly, I don't really know how I survived all that four times over!

We have Baby S, sure, but I'm Lula. The nice thing about being Lula is that I get to return Baby S to her mommy when I start getting tired or irritated (Yes, Baby S is charming but she can be very makulit as well).

And so to A, I send all my hugs and kisses! You are one amazing woman!

A and her twins: Cuteness!

Life's Too Short!

2011-08-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

"We should start watching what we eat," K says this to me as I take a bite of my Crave cheese burger with strips of bacon on top. I go, "And you're saying that while we eat burgers?" K, "Well, tomorrow we diet."

Me, diet? Yeah, right!

I've known K for many years. And we always enjoy eating out together whether we're at a burger joint or a fancy hotel. Actually, it's not exactly the eating out that I enjoy, it's the catching up on each other's life that I find most pleasurable. K is the kind of girlfriend who'll always set me right in her own quiet way. She doesn't push. She just knows how to ask the right questions. And that's what I love about her.

A couple of years back, we were able to get away for a couple of days to Baguio. And apart from the long conversations, what I remember most about that trip was the food and the art (more on that when I get around to it hehe).

On our first night, I had a fillet of sole in saffron sauce with a side of mashed potatoes with spinach at the Manor. The fish was cooked just right, but the real winner for me was the mashed potatoes. It was just so flavorful and creamy. I was so impressed by it that when I went home, I made mashed potatoes and instead of milk, I used cream of asparagus. It was really yummy!

It was during this trip that I discovered my love for soup. I had the classic French onion soup. I had pumpkin soup. I had broccoli soup. This one is mushroom at the Mile-Hi Center. It was prepared with slivers of onion. And yes, that there is a can of San Mig Light I had with my soup mwahahaha

What would a trip to Baguio be without taking in some of its art. This is at VOCAS, and again, I ate: mango crepes with lemonade and fine art.

Look at that hunk of a portabello! This is at Cafe By The Ruins. Although I am a certified carnivore, I went all out green on this trip. The veggies of Baguio are just irresistible! Of course, today, I love my salads. Last night, we had pork steak and mashed potatoes and I prepared for myself some slices of tomato and dressed them with thousand island. Simple but delicious.

And this is the culprit: Crave cheeseburger with bacon on top. Although it was a big burger, I managed to finish everything and even got a handful of K's fries.

I'm in my forties. I should start watching what I eat, but hey! Life's just too short! Mwahahahahaha

Where I Was

2011-08-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

Was out of sight for the past few days, went somewhere almost heavenly where one can...

Sit by the sea

Go down the beach

Take pause

Breathe

Messy Babies

2011-08-04T23:02:00.000-07:00

Baby S is one messy two-year-old. Baby S and I are at home, quietly watching a movie. And by the time the film credits start rolling, my once-neat living room has been turned into some kind of preschool war zone. There are cookie crumbs all over the rug, wooden blocks strewn over the floor, and milk stains on the sofa bed. Oh, and let's not forget the colorful doodles all over my thighs. Baby S has recently discovered writing.

But then, most babies are messy, or at least my babies.

When they were little, E loved tearing up paper, F playing with food, S flinging his toy cars, and K hurling his blocks. At first, I remember being all Martha Stewart about it, cleaning up after them. But then, as the years progressed, I realized that the mess will never end, and that I was outnumbered four to one. I'll never have my home as neat as I want it to be, so I grew wiser. I learned to accept that which I cannot change.

But at the end of each day when all the kids are asleep, I do a quick fixing up of the house, cook some popcorn, grab a beer, open a book, and enjoy the peace and quiet... because tomorrow it starts all over again! Mwahahaha

Praning Nation

2011-08-02T05:39:00.000-07:00

Metro Manila may already be half-submerged in water, but on our little corner of this megalopolis there was a different kind of frenzied worrying that went down. Actually, I was the only who did most of the frenzied worrying and my daughter E, I suppose, who's also already a mom.

As fate would have it, we misplaced our keychain which had with it all the keys to our house. We don't know exactly how long it's been gone. But early this afternoon two kids returned the keychain to us, saying they found it by our lamp post. Of course, this prompted some big time worrying on my part, and I scurried home from Katipunan to Alabang.

I tried to figure out how the keys went missing in the first place, but not being able to do so, all I could do is move forward. That's how I've survived all of the little and not-so-little dramas that I've ever encountered in life, by moving forward.

And so, I went to the hardware store, bought new sets of doorknobs and deadbolts, and pad locks too, and then asked our carpenter J to work overtime. He's still at it.

Happy 21!

2011-07-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

Regine V Cooks!

2011-07-30T23:19:00.001-07:00

It was one of those gloomy, rainy Saturday mornings when all I wanted to do was lock myself in my room and crawl into bed. Fortunately, this Saturday was special as I was invited to witness Asia's songbird do some culinary wonders in the kitchen. Yes, Regine Velasquez cooks!

We are at the Quezon City home she shares with her husband Ogie Alcasid, and Regine is just blooming. It was a shame really that she was too conscious to have her pictures taken because she was just lovely, and so bubbly as well.

Regine didn't take any lessons, but she is what I call one of those intuitive cooks. She can look at a bunch of ingredients and know how to make them sing. Here's an excerpt from the YES! feature, out now in newsstands!

Before she found her beloved mate, you would rarely find Regine Velasquez in the kitchen. Now it's one of her favorite places.

Wearing a denim apron, her cheeks all flushed, she's the picture of a blissfully happy homemaker as she tells us how to make a good risotto, an Italian dish of rice cooked with other ingredients: "You have to cook the rice in olive oil for a minute, or a minute and a half, to coat the rice para i-heat siya para the starch will come out, and it will be creamy."

Regine's kitchen is immaculately white. I love it that she's one of those cooks who cleans as she goes. After every prep work, she wipes down her work station with a paper towel, and washes her hands. What a pro!

She prepared lamb for us, cooked in her puttanesca sauce. There's a lot of preparation involved. She made the sauce the night before, prepped the lamb, baked the lamb, took it out and poured puttanesca all over it along with some baby potatoes and carrots, then let it roast to perfection.

And here it is!! It was super delicious and had none of that malansa flavor usually associated with lamb. Plus, of course, Regine Velasquez cooked it!! Wow!!

Regine doesn't want her photo taken, so I improvised. Here's a lovely portrait of her at their foyer, parang magkatabi na rin kami Mwahahaha

Hate the Rain

2011-07-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

My college roommate M spent a couple of months to study in Scotland, where it always rained. I could never survive in such a gloomy environment. I love the sun. I like it hot. The rain just gets me down.

And so the past few days of non-stop rain have not exactly been great for me. As much as I've tried to cheer myself up, I sometimes just get all sad and gloomy. Fortunately, there's work. Yes, work! I've always turned to work to get me out of the blues. Lost in words or immersed in a project, I can forget just about anything, even the gloomy weather.

But of course, I can't be working all the time, so J's last-minute invite for dinner and drinks at B Hotel was definitely a godsend (Thanks J!). I asked G and E, high school sweethearts who've been married for many, many years, to come with me. The last time G and I went drinking together, she brought a bottle of sweet wine to my house, and we ended up laughing all night.

There was much laughter last night as well. G and I went to high school together. One of the many crazy games that we did back then was this FLAMES thing on our crushes mwahahaha We did that for the two of them hehe

It turns out that they're just FRIENDS Mwahahaha Now we know that stupid game ain't true!

Surprise, surprise! I got an overnight stay at the Bellevue, which jived perfectly with my other rainy day cure: Sleep in! Here's my lovely room. The bath is even better!

Of course, I didn't get up for breakfast. When lunch time came around, I was ravenous. I scooted off to Cibo and ordered a salad. Funny, I've never been a fan of salads but somehow, I've developed a liking for them these past couple of months. Is it because I'm getting old? Nyak! This salad was so good: tuna, greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers with a wine vinaigrette. I could still remember my first bite of that tomato, yum!

I couldn't leave Cibo without having my favorite Farfalle Genovese. Hay! I'm so predictable Mwahahaha It was a nice way to end the week. I hope the sun comes up soon!

One Year Later

2011-07-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

It's been more than a year since I last interviewed Chesca Garcia-Kramer for Smart Parenting magazine. At the time, she was in the middle of moving houses while planning the birthday party of her daughter Kendra. Little Kendra was just adorable! She was a bit shy but already quite the charmer. Chesca was going to throw her a big costume party inspired by the babe's liking for Cabbage Patch dolls, if I remember right.

Here's Chesca with little Kendra.

Fast forward to a year or so later and look at how Kendra has grown. This is for Mommy Mundo's Urban Mom.

Already, Kendra loves shopping. She likes clothes and bracelets and all things pretty.

Jar C shooting Chesca. She would find out later on that she was pregnant with her second child. Congratulations Chesca! Hugs!

My bestpren J's baby, Urban Mom :)

My Body, My Hard Drive

2011-07-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

"The Body" by Pains of Being Pure at Heart from Phillip Van on Vimeo.

One of my favorite books is Douglas Coupland's Microserfs. It's about a group of geeks that devote most of their waking hours to writing elegant lines of code. I read it many, many years ago, but I remember it just now after having watched this video.

It was Dan, one of the characters, who said that sometimes, he felt like his body was just some contraption that drives his brain to work. And that's so true! It's too easy to forget your relationship with your body. It's too easy to abuse your body with work, work, and more work.

Reminder to self: My body is my hard drive, I have to take care of it. I don't want it crashing on me now! :)

Amy :(

2011-07-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Batch Cooking

2011-07-23T02:51:00.000-07:00

With my I-don't-know-what's-going-to-happen-next schedule, serving nutritious meals to my growing kids and my overactive grandchild has become a challenge. You know, I didn't think that this would be an issue for me when my kids are older, but well, it still is. If it were up to them, they'd just fry an egg or eat from a can; that is if neither me nor my son F didn't cook.

But of course, I couldn't not cook for them.

And so I've taken to cooking big batches of food either on a Saturday or a Sunday, and then freezing them all up for the week ahead. I've been doing this for two weeks now and so far, it's worked out well.

For the first week, I cooked Pork and Chicken Adobo (making sure I cooked the pork first before putting the chicken so that they both come out tender), Creamy Chicken Pickle (this is my version of my mom's recipe; it has a lot of all-purpose cream, yum!), and lots of Spaghetti Sauce.

For the second week, I had Kare-kare (ox tripe was on sale at the supermarket), Sinigang (I didn't cook the veggies; I told them to just put the sitaw and kangkong when they reheat; same with the Kare-kare), Chili con Carne, Monggo (peppered with the fried galunggong that these maarte kids didn't want to eat mwahahaha), and Squash Soup with Leeks and Corn (Baby S likes squash kasi).

After cooking, I place the food on plastic containers: some big, some small because there are mealtimes when it's only Baby S and yaya R, and one kid or none, and me who're at home. Oh yes, I had to figure out beforehand who'll be home at what time so that the food doesn't go to waste.

All of this takes a lot of preparation and at the end of my cooking day, I am totally exhausted. But hey, the thing is I am not forced to cook on days when I don't want to. And I know that my kids will still be eating something nice even when I'm not at home.

Hirap maging nanay! Mwahahaha

Blur

2011-07-22T05:10:00.000-07:00

It's a blur that's what it is. One day I'm playing with Baby S and the next I'm at a mall in the middle of nowhere, working. But hey, that's what makes my life so exciting: I never really know what's going to happen next. I wouldn't have it any other way. Here, some random images from the past two weeks.

Hanging out at a swanky hotel lobby. The grand piano looks intimidating. I had lessons when I was in grade school. My teacher looked a lot like Miss Tapia of Iskul Bukol. Istrikta din sya!

Baby S showing off her tummy. She's a hyperactive toddler who refuses to be ignored. She speaks English with a Playhouse Disney accent: "Lula, wash hands. Thuy're durtee!"

On assignment with B: The good thing about having lunch with a food editor is that she knows where the good stuff is!

That's me and my big bowl of beef ramen. OK, truth time! I cropped out my other eye from this photo because my eyebag was just hideous. Somebody texted me at half past midnight: sleep interrupted!

At home, munching on my favorite comfort food these days: taco! I promised myself that I would make my own tacos after having a sorry little one at Pancake House: the beef was dry and the lettuce was all wilted. I make my beef with spaghetti sauce and lots of onion and celery. Oh, that's a bowl of popcorn: movie time!

I have not seen E in ages. When we first caught sight of each other, we both let out a big gasp and immediately gave each other a big, fat hug. E, you're so slim, it's disgusting! Mwahahahaha

Catching up with my girlfriends. Miss you guys! Mwah!

The Disciplinarian

2011-07-22T04:25:00.000-07:00

I am living in a house full of teenagers. Because I am both mom and dad, I occasionally have to play the role of disciplinarian—and I don’t think that I am very good at it. It’s the nurturing mommy thing. I get mad but afterwards, I’d be so worried that I had hurt their feelings. Be firm, that’s what my dad would always tell me. I am. I try.

One house rule: If you’re going out, on weekends or after school, ask permission. Tell Mom where you’re going, who you’ll be with, and what time you’ll be home. D tells me that I shouldn't be too strict with the boys. Just tell them to be home before dark, he suggests. OK, I'll try that.

But rules are rules and of course, they are meant to be broken. And this ask-permission rule is the one that my teenaged kids just love breaking. Unfortunately, this is the one rule that I’d hate for them to be breaking because I don’t like not knowing where they are.

The other day, one of my sons came home very late after school. I got mad because this wasn’t the first time he’d done this, and of course, I huffed and I puffed like an angry wolf. But afterwards, I felt all sad about it.

Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do!

Give Me Some Duck!

2011-07-16T05:34:00.000-07:00

When G invited me to the launching of a book she edited, I just had to go. It was the middle of the week, but I didn't care. I had to be there for G's special night, and convinced R and B to go with me.

This is the book. Very timely considering all the disasters we've experienced in the past few years. One of the things discussed was how every family should have an in-case-of-emergency plan, like what each member should do in the event of a fire or an earthquake. I think we should definitely do something like that.

G with her mom. Find out more about her here.

Afterwards, we went to Peking Garden for duck, two ways! Look at Wilard go with his knife. He was so good that I asked him if he had to undergo some training in duck slicing.

And here is Wilard's creation, a platter of thinly sliced roast duck. Heaven!

They brought the minced duck shortly after. I remember the first time I encountered minced duck. I was with my mom and my dad, and I didn't know what to do with it mwahahahaha

OK, I had to take a photo of R with her blue nail polish. This was so uncharacteristic of her, but I actually liked the blue polish. You only live once. Try everything!

OK, I must admit that after feasting on all that duck, I kinda got woozy. Too much cholesterol perhaps? Mwahahahaha No matter, it was a fun night!

Give Me Some Rice!

2011-07-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

The minute Marian Rivera told me that she loves rice, I was intrigued. What can I say? I love rice myself, and for me, lunch and dinner would not be complete without rice. I once went to a buffet with my sisters. And when they saw the mound of rice on my plate, they immediately teased me as having the appetite of a magsasaka (farmer). Mwahahaha I don’t care! I love rice.

Here’s an excerpt of my Marian Rivera interview. Get a copy of Women’s Health July 2011 for the full story. Promise, nakakaaliw siya!

It’s easy to begrudge Marian Rivera. She’s beautiful, street-smart, and sexy. She has starred in one successful teleserye after another, one blockbuster movie after the next. And as if those weren’t enough, Marian Rivera has a sweet romance going on with one of the hottest guys on this side of the planet, Dingdong Dantes.

And now, we’re going to give you another reason to envy her.

Marian Rivera eats—and she does so oh-so heartily! For the countless women out there who have to virtually starve themselves to get into that little black dress, this is almost too much!

“Sana walang magagalit sa akin pero totoo talaga, kumakain ako ng dapat at ng gusto kong kainin,” she says.

It is at this point that Marian, a month away from turning 27, tells us how much she loves rice. Whether she’s on the set or at home, meals are full-rice productions. No salads or sandwiches for this woman with the drop dead looks and the gorgeous figure.

“Mahilig talaga ako kumain basta Filipino food. At saka hindi puwedeng walang rice, parang mamamatay ako kung walang rice!”

Testosterone

2011-07-10T05:02:00.000-07:00

So many things to talk about!:)Because of work and our fuzzy Internet connection, I haven’t been able to blog as often as I wanted to. Sigh!

Anyway, it was a lazy night. I’d just scored a DVD of one of our favorite shows, Top Chef. K, F, and I were in our living room—K and I spread out on the sofa bed, F on the rug, all of us eating popcorn. Because there was a glitch on the DVD (it kept going back to the episode we had just watched), I asked F to push the forward button. Immediately, K suggested something, I don’t remember what really, but it had something to do with what button to push.

And just like that, F suddenly goes: “I know what I’m doing.” And K goes: “I’m just giving a suggestion.” F: “I know what I’m doing!” K: “I’m just giving a suggestion!” F: “I know what I’m doing!!” K: "I'm just giving a suggestion!!" And on and on it went, their voices getting louder and louder.

I could feel the fierceness of their every word, the intensity of their feelings. It was testosterone pure and simple. And it was, quite frankly, scary! I tried to keep it light and said something like, “Come on. Let’s just watch the show.” They didn’t hear me; they were staring down at each other, still shouting. I felt invisible. If they start fighting, I thought, I am not going to get in the way. I mean, these two boys are bigger and taller than me! I’ll just be crushed! Mwahaha

Thankfully, my other son S came out. He was in the other room and he goes in a big loud voice, which surprised me actually because S is the skinniest of the three, “Stop that! It’s only TV!”

And just like that, they stopped!

BOYS!!

Writing on Edge

2011-07-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

While tapping on the keyboard the other day, I sent a quick text message to my friend K telling her how nervous I am. I am always anxious whenever I have to submit a story for YES! magazine. I check and double-check. I dilly and dally, making sure I get everything right.

It’s not that YES! is probably the most widely read magazine in the land—although that thought doesn’t help my nerves any—it’s just that I know that there are two formidable editors who’ll be reading my manuscript, meticulously going through every word, carefully analyzing every thought.

I’m talking about JO-ANN MAGLIPON and PETE LACABA. I write their names in capital letters because in my world, they’re giants.

The very first time I was assigned a story for YES!, I missed my deadline. To be frank, I was just scared. I take my writing seriously, and really, one of the reasons why I quit my day job was because I hardly had time to write anymore. The thought of my words being read by these two made me want to puke. Fortunately, things got a little easier later.

I love that Madam, as everybody calls Jo-Ann, is precise about what she wants, is vocal about what she thinks, and is generous with her compliments when she likes what she sees—although I still get nervous whenever I get a call from her. I love getting back my manuscript after Sir Pete has gone through it, looking at what he’s changed and what he hasn’t. I’ve been writing for YES! for some time now and I think I’ve become a better writer and editor because of it. It’s like going to school actually—although I doubt if I’d get that good a training in any school.

I am still on edge whenever I write for YES! But for me, but that’s a very good thing.

Why Do We Love Him Oh-So Much?

2011-06-28T23:54:00.000-07:00

Baby S was beside me while I was opening my mail. When she saw this picture of Mickey Mouse and his friends pop out on the screen, she immediately said, "Mickey! Mickey!"

"Yes, Mickey," I said. At this point, she ran to the television set and again said, "Mickey! Mickey!" Unfortunately, Mickey wasn't on Playhouse Disney, so she pointed to my screen. I think she wanted to watch Mickey on my desktop, but I was just too busy. Fortunately, Handy Manny came on.

Saved!

As for my mail, G told me that Playhouse Disney was being replaced with Disney Junior. And for a moment there, I was filled with anxiety. I thought, what's going to happen to Oso?!!! Fortunately, they're going to keep Oso and Manny and a bunch of others that are Baby S's favorites.

Saved again!

P!!!!!!!

2011-06-27T16:57:00.001-07:00

Just received the most incredible news and I am absolutely speechless!!! WOW!!

Shorts

2011-06-27T05:42:00.000-07:00

Lost on words, but need a Vimeo break :) Enjoy!

How To Fly A Kite from Paul Trillo on Vimeo.

Wonder what kind of cult I could start? Mwahahaha

STUCK from Joe Ayala on Vimeo.

Just last week, our flight got delayed and we were stuck at the airport. Too bad the airport wasn't anything like this.

Ah, Should We Start Building An Ark Now?

2011-06-24T02:30:00.000-07:00

... just a thought :)

Sophie's Sleepover

2011-06-23T19:25:00.001-07:00

Wednesday night was my daughter E's first night at her new dorm. While she was trying to fit herself in her second-level bunk bed, which still had most of her belongings strewn all over, Baby S and I were all comfy in her living room, watching TV and playing.

Yes, I am a bad Lula. Baby S was supposed to sleep hours ago, but I didn't have the energy to play heavy and force her to sleep. After all, we were having a great time playing with her dollhouse and making couches and airplanes out of her plastic blocks... and she was kissing me every few minutes... and well, Shawshank Redemption was on cable, and I love that movie and I haven't seen it for a long time so, you get the drift.

Every so often, Baby S would close the lights (yes, she can do that all by herself now), lie down, and get her bottle. But after a few minutes, she'll be up again, opening the lights, chatting with me, and playing with her toys. It was like I was in bed with the Energizer Bunny!

The movie soon ended but it took a couple more opening and closing of the lights before Baby S finally fell asleep, lodging herself by my side, her right leg on top of my tummy. I was so exhausted by then that I didn't bother moving her. And that's how I fell asleep.

Death and Dying

2011-06-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, I would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, all breathless and sweaty with thoughts of death and dying clouding my mind. I would stand up, walk around my room, and turn my head every which way hoping those thoughts of doom would just go away. The idea of something—well, myself actually—coming to an end was just too horrible.

I haven’t thought of death and dying in awhile. There’s just too much of life happening all around me, I suppose. Last week, however, a friend said something about being scared of his mortality, and that got me thinking. In one of my MTV-induced moments, I remembered this essay I read in Time magazine. John F. Kennedy, Jr., the man whom everybody thought would be president someday, had just crashed his plane into the sea. And the author asked, what is the measure of a life?

That question kept me up most of the night. And while I do not propose to know the answer—I’m a writer, not a philosopher—I went back to one thought over and over again. We are mortals, true, but there are moments in time when we become immortal. And I’m not talking about world-changing events. I’m talking about a personal moment that transcends an everyday experience into something unforgettable, and yes, sometimes life-changing even.

There was that one morning, for example, when my dad wrote “I LOVE YOU” on the palm of my hand, because we haven’t seen each other for days. There was that one afternoon when my mom taught me how to cook okoy, sharing with me her secrets, preparing every okoy with care. Seconds become minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days, but I still remember that one morning and that one afternoon as if they were yesterday.

Someday, I know that all of this would end, but till then, I choose to treasure the immortal.

Quick Trip

2011-06-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

Every few months or so, for one reason or another, I’ve found myself in Cebu.

I was a college student the first time I went to Cebu. I was a writer for Matanglawin and I was to attend a conference of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines. Since more of us could come if we traveled by sea, we took one of those slow and terribly overcrowded ships which, by the way, had a reputation of sinking to the bottom of the ocean. It didn't matter. I have very fond memories of that trip--even though there were wall-to-wall people and we slept in bunks that didn't smell nice and we ate I-don't-know-what kind of food! I was young :)

But I digress.

So I came back from Cebu just a couple of days ago and I realized that there are so many things that I love about Cebu. I love it that Chi at Shang is there. They give the best massages and I love it that they ask whether I want the room hot or cold, I'm malamigin kasi. I love it that Malapascua is there, although it's still many, many hours of a heart attack-inducing bus ride to Neverland. I love it that one of my best girlfriends lives there. She's always a gracious host and I hate it that I didn't get to see her during my last visit because my schedule was packed and she was moving houses.

And then there are the other stuff ...

I love it that Zubuchon is there. I love it that there are all these lechon places there, actually. And there's always something new to try. I love it that Zubuchon is at the airport now; the kids love their lechon sisig. Killer!!

I love it that Kenneth is there (first name basis daw mwahahaha!) I love his works; they're beautifully organic. I am saving up for one of his puffy as a cloud lamps. Of course, I love it that Z is there, still the best place to just hang.

I love it that the palengkes there are so clean. And you get to meet the people who actually grow the produce. This old lady was the one who raised these lovely round sayotes. So pretty and delicious!

I love it that IT Park is there because it reminds me so much of home. OK, this is not a very nice photograph, I admit, but just imagine Alabang with its wide streets and many trees and you'll get the picture. I am never homesick when I'm there.

A Quick One

2011-06-13T08:24:00.001-07:00

Too much going on, but here's a quick one. Titanic was on cable today. During my work breaks, I caught bits and pieces of it--and so did Baby S. After the movie, Baby S went running around the house, shouting, "Jack! Jack! Jack!" Uh, oh!

Part-time Roomie

2011-06-10T03:34:00.000-07:00

I haven’t had a roomie in years. There is something very liberating about having a room of your own where you can do anything and everything you please. But as chance would have it, I may not be completely alone in my room very soon. At least on some nights, that is.

My daughter’s class schedule is a bit crazy this semester. For a couple of days, she has classes in the morning and then a big break in the afternoon and then an early evening class that ends at seven, which means she’ll get home before nine, which means she’ll always be tired because she has to wake up at five the next day for her morning classes. Crazy!

When she got home the other night, looking all beat up and exhausted, my heart went out to her. She really looked so kawawa. So my daughter, who very well knows how to take matters into her own hands, suggested that she live in a dormitory for a couple of days of the week, so that she can focus on her studies and get some rest. In my mind I already knew it was the perfect solution, but I knew also what it would mean: I would have to take care of Baby S on some nights. Uh-oh!

Now you all know that I have a thing for sleeping. I love sleeping! I love curling up in bed. I love taking my time waking up in the morning, stretching slowly until I’m all warmed up. And with a baby in my bed, I’m afraid that my sleeping-soundly-in-bed days are over—at least on some nights, that is.

But then remembering how Baby S tells me “I love you, Lula” while I’m working, or how she asks me to get up and “Lula dance,” or how she gives me a big kiss before saying good night, well, maybe having a part-time roomie ain’t that bad after all.

Scared Shitless

2011-06-08T00:38:00.001-07:00

I grew up in a family of readers. On weekends sometimes, the house would be quiet and still. That’s because each and every one of us—my mom, my dad, my three sisters, and I—would be occupied with our respective book of the week. As far as I can remember, there were always all sorts of books in the house—and our parents gave us the freedom to pick and choose whatever caught our fancy.

There were classics amidst the paperbacks, and that’s how I discovered Victor Hugo and Stephen King, Jacqueline Susann and Ayn Rand, Hemingway and Dostoevsky. I reveled in all their musings and adventures. I remember getting so engrossed on Robert Ludlum’s spy novels that at one point in my childhood, I wanted to work for the CIA. Those books opened whole new worlds for me.

That’s how I ended up loving reading.

While going through my bookshelf one day, I chanced upon an old Stephen King novel that I haven’t read, Gerald’s Game. Its cover was frayed and faded, its pages yellowed with age. But seeing how those pages have all been thumbed through, I told myself, my sisters or my parents must have already read this and they must have enjoyed it. And so, I started reading.

The plot is simple enough: Hubby handcuffs wife to the bed, wife accidentally offs the hubby when she kicks him and he falls head first from the bed leaving wife chained to the posts. Only a mind as deliciously twisted as Stephen King could have thought this up.

I gobbled up the pages. And by the time I got to the chapter where a stray dog enters their bedroom, I got so scared that I stopped reading, and misplaced the book (I think I did that on purpose, though unconsciously). I found the book a couple of days later and never put it down.

I love it that I could get so scared shitless by words.

Couldn't put the book down, and brought it everywhere, even on a quick trip to Sbarro. Remember V and M? :)

Aimee

2011-06-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

Baby S and I are dancing to her tunes as the rain comes down.

Summer's Over

2011-06-06T01:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know that it's still hot but my son K just came home from his first day in school. Summer's over! :(

Shopping With Boys

2011-06-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

I’ve never been a mall rat. I’m not one to spend hours at the mall just wandering aimlessly. If I have to go to the mall, it would have to be with a purpose. And that’s why I love shopping with my boys. You can say that we share the same philosophy when it comes to shopping: figure out what you want, look at what’s available, and then pay for it.

Yes, when it comes to shopping I’m not such a girl. I love shopping but my version of it is something like a hit-and-run, I don’t like lingering. This is why my daughter E doesn’t like to take me shopping all that much. The first “grown-up” shopping gig we had together was a total disaster. She was shopping for her prom dress and had to go to each and every boutique and department store. I was not at all excited. She got the dress she wanted, but I vowed never again to be her shopping buddy. I just don’t have the enthusiasm to pour over racks and racks and racks of clothes.

In contrast, shopping with my boys is such a pleasant and speedy experience. The other day, my son K and I went shopping for school shoes. After agreeing on a budget, we looked around for the designs that he wanted, and got them on his size. After trying them on, he picked the winner—and that was our shopping errand for the day.

The best part: Since K and I share a liking for Dairy Queen, we stuffed ourselves silly with its Triple Chocolate Utopia Waffle—vanilla ice cream with brownie and chocolate chunks topped with what else but chocolate. It was humongous, and I think we spent even more time finishing off Utopia than shopping for those shoes. Lovely!

After shopping treat

Girlfriends Forever

2011-06-03T04:26:00.000-07:00

The past week was a stressful one. Not only did I have to beat one deadline after another, I also had to enroll one child after the next, which set me back by I-don’t-care-to-know-how-much. And so when one of my best girlfriends G texted me about having dinner with P, I was more than ecstatic.

So many lifetimes ago, the three of us together with three others would go out drinking every other week or so. Yes, these are my drinking girlfriends. We would meet in Malate, when Malate still had all these quirky little bars and restaurants, parting only when we have successfully analyzed and dissected the burning issue of the week, whether it’s someone’s sad travails at the office or the rapturous blossoming of a new love.

When we got too old for all-night drinking sprees, we took to having long lunches. And in between, there will be what I call emergency calls. These are the type of calls that come in the middle of the night that you absolutely have to answer. I remember calling R from Baguio. I was alone and grieving for a lost love, and I knew that R would patiently listen. I remember calling D from my bedroom. I had just found out that my daughter E was pregnant, and I knew that D would know exactly what to say.

These women, they know all of my secrets, they know all of my pains and all of my heart’s secret longings.

Men come and go. Girlfriends are forever!

Baby Meltdown!

2011-05-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

As I write this, Baby S is on an all-out meltdown, shouting her head off, saying over and over again, “No dede! No mommy! No water!” Her mother, my daughter E, is patiently dealing with her while my son K and I listen quietly from the other room.

I don’t know what set her off, but there she is, screaming at the top of her lungs. And there’s her mom, sitting quietly by her side, making sure Baby S doesn’t hurt herself. There’s nothing E can do really, except wait for this raging fever to be over.

And then I wonder, maybe Baby S has something going on here. I mean, don’t you feel sometimes the need to scream and shout?! You’re wearing a frilly white dress and open-toed sandals, and it rains. You’re all set for an interview, and at the last minute, it gets cancelled. You’re in the middle of writing a story, and your editor is texting you that she needs it right now, and the power goes out! I could just scream!

Unlike Baby S, however, I have my no-fail set of coping devices, which doesn’t involve much screaming and shouting. Nah, it involves lots of chocolate-eating, beer-drinking, and TV-surfing. It works all the time. Unfortunately, I can’t pass a bottle to Baby S (Unless it's milk), nor can I give her a bar of chocolate (Her mom would kill me). We can watch TV, sure, but she’s still running around, screaming her head off. Maybe I should just run around with her? See how that goes?

"I Ate Like A Pig!"

2011-05-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

In the words of Pumbaa, "I ate like a pig!" That's what I kept telling myself over and over again as I drifted off to sleep last night.

Last week had me trying to beat my deadlines. Sometimes, I'd wake up at five in the morning just to finish off something before I get on my day's schedule. It was a bit tiring but every time I put a check mark on one of my assignments, I felt really happy!

And so, after enrolling F in college (Yes, I have yet another kid in college), we hied off in search of Ms. B's Tuckshop. I had read about Ms. B in Yummy and in several blogs. And it's the kind of place that appeals to me: small, personal, not commercial. The owners are three young chefs who like serving comfort food using classic French techniques. Cool! Ms. B is right across Buendia Car Exchange in Jupiter St., so it wasn't that hard to find.

Ms. B's candy-colored chairs reminded me of preschool. I remember bringing each and every one of my kids to their first day in school: them all fidgety, me all nervous. For the first few days, I would sit outside their classrooms for a few minutes just to make sure they're tucked in there OK. Of course, now my kids can't wait to get back to school so that they can see all their friends. Mwahahaha!

The day's specials are written on this big blackboard, which took one wall of Ms. B's. We were here for the burger. But looking at all the side dishes, F and I basically just went through the whole list. We had the Cajun Fries, Lechon Salad, Pomme Dauphine, and Creamy Mashed Potato. The Pommes Dauphine, which are crisp potato puffs, were super light. I could have gone through a whole bunch of them. The Mashed Potato was almost soupy in its consistency. My kids and I love mashed potato, and I might just try making this version soon.

The Beef Burger was delicious. It's really beefy and juicy. I don't know what the young chefs put in there but this burger definitely didn't need any help from catsup. The Cajun Fries had the right hint of spice but my favorite is the Lechon Salad. It was like a coleslaw with strips of lechon skin with suha. Yum! Oh yes, we ordered another sandwich, Pulled Pork, which was like lechon. We found it a tad sweetish though.

F doesn't like his picture taken. Oh well!! Study well, F! Next time, you'll be the one who'll do the treating! Or find out how to make those burgers and cook them at home!

Shooting Amina

2011-05-22T06:08:00.001-07:00

I love meeting gung-ho moms. I love talking with these incredible creatures who could take care of the kids, run after their dreams, and keep their man. Amina is one such mom, and as she told me about how she was pregnant with her third child while moving her family from North to South, I was simply amazed. I moved houses six months ago, and I just moved streets, but still, it was a killer!

Amina used to model so it wasn't hard to shoot her. She was quite a candid interview as well.

We shot at the Edades model unit of Rockwell, and it had all these nice spaces.

Love the zebras :)

J and I can't help but strike a pose.

And here I am under a fish bone thingie. Nice day!

Get to know more of Amina at the latest issue of Urban Mom :)

And So Yet Again, The World Didn't End :)

2011-05-22T01:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was still half-asleep when my son K came up to me and said, "Ma, it's judgement day today." "Oh, Terminator is on cable?" "No, Ma, judgement day!" "Ah, OK," I said and promptly went back to sleep.

I am too high on life to think about sad endings. Let's go! :)

Version Me

2011-05-14T02:43:00.000-07:00

On the way home with V the other night, she asked, “You don’t wake your kids up in the morning?” “No.” “Who wakes them up? “They wake up by themselves.” “Who makes their breakfast?” “They’re old enough to make their own breakfast.”

V gave me a look of utter surprise, as if I belonged to some other planet. She goes on to tell me that her mom still wakes her up in the mornings and fixes everybody breakfast. V is in her twenties.

D, who is in his thirties, also told me once before that his mother makes sure that breakfast is ready for everybody. And I gave him a look of utter surprise, as if he belonged to some other planet.

Well, apparently, I am the one who belongs to a galaxy far, far away.

Read more here :)

Rampage

2011-05-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

Baby S has been going on a tantrum rampage for the past few weeks. Used to be, she’d just throw a huge one in the middle of the afternoon. These days, she’d throw one every time she’d feel like it, it seems.

At one point, it got so bad that I could hear her shouts and cries from my second floor bedroom. I dared not go down; I didn’t want to deal with another toddler and her tantrums. I figured, I’ve already survived the naughty antics of four kids, I deserve a break.

One particularly bad episode happened in public—always an unpleasant ordeal. My daughter E, who was maybe two or three years then, and I were out with my sister B. For some reason or another, she just started screaming and shouting that she wanted cake. I don’t know if she’d seen it on a store window or if she just suddenly remembered something she had eaten before, all I know is that she wanted cake—NOW! It was the first time that I’d had little tyke go psycho on me in public and it was humiliating, to say the least.

I would experience more toddler tantrum episodes after that, but these days, I just try to stay out of the way. Done that, done that, thank you very much!

Debt Free!

2011-05-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

I didn’t know how I let it run away from me. I missed a payment here and there, and before I knew it, I was snowed down in interest. Yes, you know what I’m talking about: credit card debt.

When I quit my previous job, I forgot to give the credit card company my forwarding address: and so, no bill, no payment. When I finally remembered to do so several months after, the bill has ballooned into humongous proportions. And I was like, goodness! How did I let this run away from me? I felt incredibly stupid but I was determined to pay it off. It was like this big noose hanging around my neck.

Late last year, the company offered a fast but painful payment scheme, which cut the interest down. Right away, I signed on without knowing how I was going to make those payments. But something always came up—a new project or a new assignment—which allowed me to make those payments on time. Every time I went to the bank to make a deposit, I felt like Hercules cutting off another one of Hydra’s heads.

I slayed Hydra a couple of months ago, and yesterday, I finally got the certificate which proves it! I felt like a She-Man! It was wonderful!

The Short End

2011-05-08T11:33:00.001-07:00

The cool thing about having a 20-year-old daughter is that you get to have nice, long girl talks. Whenever I need a break from work, I just scoot over to E’s house and we talk about stuff. Last night it was about height, specifically a guy’s height—or his lack thereof.

When my boys were growing up, I prayed to God every day to please, please make them tall. I knew enough about how shorter boys are treated in school, and I didn’t want my boys to experience that kind of ribbing or teasing—ever!

The problem becomes more complicated when those boys reach their teens. I remember being courted by A, a vertically-challenged boy, who was, in fairness, really nice. When he went to our house, however, A was met by my mom, who immediately said, “Uminom ka muna ng gatas!” (“Drink your milk!”) He would forever be asked by our friends if he’d already drunk his milk whenever I was around. Poor boy!

Now, I have nothing against short guys—I know some who are just great and talented, and even dated a few—but as a mom, I wanted my boys to have one less issue to worry about. Growing up is hard enough.

Fortunately, my prayers were answered for my three boys are growing like weeds. Unfortunately, they are also eating everything in sight with lightning speed—but that’s another story!

Plus Four

2011-05-08T01:09:00.000-07:00

For a woman, becoming a mother is one of life’s defining moments. No matter what else happens in your life, you will forever be a plus one, or a plus two, or in my case, a plus four.

The other day, I was looking at my youngest son and I gasped, “Kyle! We’ve been together for 14 years!” And that for me is the gift of motherhood: You get to have front row seats to the unfolding of a life. You get to see your child grow from a tiny babe who could sleep snugly on your thighs to a young man whose thighs are now actually bigger than yours.

In between, you get into all sorts of scrapes together. It won’t always be a fun ride, true. But no matter how upset you get at that child who is now two heads taller than you, you’ll always see him as the cute little infant whose chubby cheeks you wanted to pinch all day.

After my marriage ended, my mom, who always manages to see the good in everything, told me, “Buti nalang mababait ang mga anak mo. Maganda at mga guwapo pa!” And I couldn’t help but laugh because in truth, I cannot imagine my life without Erika, Felix, Sam, and Kyle. I cannot imagine my life not thinking about them or worrying about them, or talking with them, or getting mad at them, or laughing with them, or just hanging out with them.

I am a plus four, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Arabela

2011-05-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

J, who has this incredibly miraculous story of how she gave birth to one of her kids, was telling me of a recent trip to Liliw. The moment she mentioned Liliw, I immediately thought, "Arabela!"

I love this teeny, tiny place tucked in one of Liliw's side streets at the ground level of one of those wonderfully preserved vintage houses. The claustrophobic may not be too comfortable with its cramped quarters. But those who like quirky, kitschy spaces will feel right at home here.

Every nook and cranny is chock-full of something: books and magazines hog every table and shelf; posters, paintings, and other thingamajigs hang on every wall; and chairs and tables crowd every available space.

But what you'd like here most is the food cooked home-style from their teeny, tiny kitchen: pizza with kesong puti, pasta with generous dollops of sauce in generous servings. If there are no other diners waiting for tables, you'll definitely want to linger in this restaurant that feels oh so like home.

Ah, pizza! Always a favorite :)

Pizza and pasta

Order up!

Every wall is covered with pretty-looking stuff

Batibot chairs painted in every color of the rainbow

Take me there!

Sunset Bliss

2011-05-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

Was so tired by the end of last week that I found myself drinking a Heineken after doing the groceries. Not good!

And so, I was very happy to have ended the week here...

For a beach babe, it was plain bliss :)

2 Years, 2 Months, 17 Days

2011-05-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, we're in our terribly adorable twos.

Stealing from L, Kisses for A! :)

2011-04-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

It was one of those harried, hurried let's-have-coffee moments, which my dear friend L talked about perfectly here. It's from her that I stole this photo from. Don't have time to do a montage like that these days, it seems.

But before I do some work, want to give a great big hug and lots of loving kisses to my best friend A! Happy birthday sweetie! Mwah!

Tupada

2011-04-28T09:51:00.001-07:00

So, OK, I am not, by no stretch of the imagination, a vegetarian. I like my meat. I like my chicken. I love eating! But goodness, seeing those roosters fight to the death was just too depressing.

As part of the fiesta celebrations in that far-off barangay in Pampanga, the men got to play their games at the tupada. It was the very first time that I ever witnessed a cockfight, and it was kinda scary.

Scary because, well, I was practically the only female at the place, save for an elderly tindera who sold snacks, and I tell you, it was kind of intimidating. The minute we walked in, these men started staring at me. And I was like, 'Do I have big, fat pimple on my face?" Of course, clueless me did not realize that I had intruded into he-man territory. And by the time I did, I was like, 'Who cares? I want to see the fight!'

Scary because the he-men started shouting their bets in a language I could not comprehend. After awhile, the shouts turned into some kind of chant. It was surreal seeing grown men in their puruntongs and their beer bellies chanting as if in a trance.

Scary because as soon as the fight started, it was every man for himself. Every he-man jockeyed for "front row seats," which meant I got elbowed by one particularly aggressive tupada fan. Whatever!

Scary because, well, these roosters really fought to the death. A fight lasts for only seconds sometimes. But in those few seconds, you'd see how precious life is--even for a rooster.

Face off!

Dead chicken by the fire

Losers end up in the pot

Fiesta!

2011-04-27T05:48:00.001-07:00

B tells me that the May issue of Yummy is already out. I've been so looking forward to this one because it tells how a bunch of us crashed into a small town fiesta at the foot of Mount Arayat.

Often enough, the back story is as exciting as the one published on the pages of the magazine. Take this one, for example. Because B wanted to come out with a fiesta story for May, we had to find one last February. The hunt, which had us surfing the Net, calling up DOT people, and texting friends, eventually produced one solid lead: a fiesta in some obscure barangay in Pampanga. This came from my good friend R, who got it from her stylist F at Piandre, who hails from there.

And so we went. Because the town was pretty out there, we could not book any kind of accommodation in advance. I thought, "Well, we'll just wing it. I'm sure we can find something." In truth, I didn't exactly know where we were going. I just had the name of the barangay and the name of the stylist's sister-in-law. That was it! Not exactly the ingredients of a good story, I know, but I love not knowing what's going to happen next!

Well, we made it. We met F and her family, saw a pig being slaughtered, walked with a marching band, watched an amateur singing contest, went to a tupada, and ended up sleeping at F's house quite soundly. They were truly so generous, and I could not thank them enough.

Here, some pictures from that adventure.

Went to the slaughter house first thing in the morning; what a way to start the day!

The amigas of Lola C, chopping kilos and kilos of pork. No, not the one you just saw in the tricycle.

Balloons and all sorts of favors

It's fiesta the whole year round for this band; they get invited to march in towns all over the country.

What would a fiesta be without a muse...

... and loads of food!

Check out the May issue of Yummy for the whole story :)

Poochy

2011-04-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

I am finally home! I miss my room. I miss the yard. I miss the light. I miss the kitchen. I miss the broadband. But most of all, I miss my bed!

For the past three nights, I've slept at my Mom's house. A couple of weeks ago, she asked me to babysit her house for a few days. She was finally going to Palawan-- something she had always planned to do but never got around to doing--so, of course, I said yes.

What was so special about her house that it needed a sitter? Well, first there are all her beautiful flowers and trees that need daily watering, and sometimes, a bit of talking to. Next, there is Muning, the house cat whom she inherited from our dear Tito Ernie. And last but not least, there is Poochy, their pet dog.

Yes, you read that right, a dog! If you're a good friend of mine, you'll know that I am not exactly a fan of dogs. There must have been some kind of gene that I was not born with, I'm not sure. Anyway, I was supposed to feed these little critters, make sure they're safe and satisfied till their "mom" and "dad" gets home. Fortunately, my son S went with me, and it was he who ended up feeding the pets.

Which didn't mean that I didn't have close encounters with them, more so with Poochy. Every time I had to get to the home office from the main house, there was Poochy looking at me through his sad eyes, begging to be fawned and fondled. For the life of me though, I couldn't make myself cuddle him. And so I just let him play with my legs, while I silently prayed that he already had all the necessary shots. And that became our routine: me scurrying towards the office, him running after me for some play time.

Today was my last day at Mom's. And this morning, before leaving, I didn't scurry out of Poochy's sight. I even managed to pat him slightly on the head while he played with my legs. Which is not to say that I've grown to like him, not really. But at least, I don't hate him, not anymore :)

Feeling Country

2011-04-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

My mom would love this place. Before the term shabby chic even became part of our daily lexicon, my mom already had that country feel going on at home. She had the sofa reupholstered in a flowery print, covered the tables with lace and doilies, and adorned the place with cute ceramics. Yes, I grew up in such surroundings, which maybe why I want my place to be as quiet as it could be.

When we went to Tagaytay a couple of weeks ago, we ended up at Cliffhouse. I totally forgot about this place, which would have made my mom smile. Well, next time.

Mom would like the garden...

.... and this

... and this

and maybe this ....

This I like: adobong kangkong with lots of chicharon bits!

Witty!

Class picture

Read about the Magdangals' Memory Lane on the May 2011 issue of YES! Magazine.

Missing S and E

2011-04-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

Breakfast!

2011-04-18T03:07:00.000-07:00

I’ve never been a breakfast person. Perhaps the fact that I usually wake up at nine or ten in the morning has something to do with that.

When my sisters and I were in grade school, our yaya would prepare four glasses of milk on the table, and that’s what we’d have for breakfast. That’s because we’d rather sleep than eat breakfast. To this day, I am still of this frame of mind. Hotel buffet breakfasts—they don’t exactly entice me—except when they’re open till very late, lunch almost.

Nevertheless, I love breakfast food. I love eating tuyo with fried rice, the kind sautéed with lots of garlic and toasted an almost brown color, with lots of sliced tomatoes. This meal I discovered from my Lola Saleng. One school year, I lived with my Lolo and Lola in Caloocan, and had to wake up early to have breakfast with them and my aunts and uncles every day. My Lola would usually serve leftovers from the night before or some longganisa or eggs sunny side-up. But it is the tuyo that I came to love. Dipped in suka, its salty sour flavor was perfect with the freshness of the tomatoes.

One other thing that my Lola served, which I liked, was champorado. And I remember pouring lots of evaporada on my bowl, and then dousing it with spoonful upon spoonful of sugar. Technically, champorado is breakfast food but we usually ate it for merienda. Today, I cook my own version of the champorado—and my kids love it! “Chammy! Ma, are you cooking Chammy?!” It’s sweet and it’s rice; it’s a surefire hit.

But when I want it plain and simple, I go for an omelet. Just crack an egg, whip it, and cook with whatever you like: tomatoes, onions, cheese, ham, bell pepper, mushrooms, what-have-you. My dad has always had a good appetite. And one of my most vivid memories of him when we were younger was of him eating an omelet. It was a plain onion and tomato omelet but the way he dug into it, you’d think it was lechon or something. He put some catsup on it, sliced it this way and that, and ate it with slices of white bread. When the omelet was done, he mopped the remaining piece of bread onto the plate to make sure he got all the juices from the eggs, and the tomatoes, and the onions, and the catsup. Wonderful!

Here, the breakfast after the night before from The Big Night, a most unforgettable food movie. The characters don't speak all that much but the scene speaks volumes about what it means to be a family.