Do You "Feel" Christmas?

I have seen a few status of my friends' status on facebook that they do not yet feel Christmas even if it's just one day away. What is it to like to "feel" Christmas? I suspect that what they are talking about has nothing to do with what Christmas is about. I am guessing that the Christmas "feeling" that they are hoping to experience is all about the excitement of gifts and parties and Noche Buena preparation and such things. I admit I used to be like them until than a decade ago and maybe it all started when we were little and believed in Santa Claus.

But really, these FB friends who are my grade school and high school classmates are now approaching middle age like me and they are still talking about that Christmas feeling. I have stopped "celebrating" Christmas more than ten years ago. By celebrating, I mean stressing myself with buying gifts until the 24th of December, standing in line at the grocery for the Noche Buena, doing a lot of cooking and pushing ourselves to the point of exhaustion just to keep up with tradition not to mention spending tons of money to have that Christmas "feeling."

Of course, I always went to mass on Christmas day and for some people, completing the Simbang Gabi gets them into that Christmas spirit as well as celebrating the real reason for Christmas, which is the birth of our Savior. All those other things we do are mostly from tradition. That we should do this and have that. It took a lot of hardship and trials to make me realize that what some people do to celebrate Christmas does not really mean anything and has nothing to do with what it is about. And sometimes what it is all about is forgotten amidst all these preparations because we get carried away by the "feeling."

My life is a lot better now but I continue to not "celebrate" Christmas. I have no decoration at home. I haven't bought gifts. We do attend parties and take them as that, parties the way we have the rest of the year.

P, being of a different faith (although he is also a Christian) from me has a different belief about Christmas. If I had not gone through what I have, I would not now have shared his view of it which is all centered on Him. I am considering converting to his faith next year. What did we do? Christmas eve is on a Saturday this year and Christmas day is on a Sunday. Via and I went to church just like we always did on Saturday to worship and on Christmas day, well, my Aunt whose husband passed away recently, has invited us for lunch. So we went and visited her.

I have not told Via about the Santa Claus of my youth. How I used to think that all those gifts were really from Santa Claus and he was real just like other children. Such fairy tales make it more difficult to deal with realities of life. Especially now, we are celebrating all these things that are just driven by big businesses like halloween, etc. Halloween never used to be celebrated in this country. Malls and hotels started promoting it in the 90s I think. So what do I tell the Twerp about Santa Claus because she does see him at the mall and on TV. I say he's a cartoon character just like Winnie the Pooh and Micky Mouse. I don't think I'm depriving her of anything by doing this. She is a happy and well adjusted child and very perceptive.

A lot of people will not agree with me and that is all right. This is my opinion and that I find some of those FB status really absurd.

Wishing you all happy holidays!

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Mercy is Underserved Kindness

A nagging question in my mind has always been how to be kind to bad people or even those who beg in the streets seeing that they are strong and healthy but prefer to beg. 

Today I got this on my email and wanted to share:

The Bible says that God is kind to bad people (see Luke 6:35-36). We somehow know this already, but it still jars our sense of “justice.”

One day, some brilliant men were debating about what makes Christianity different from other religions. The discussion was heated and lively, with all sorts of answers being raised.

That was when the great thinker and apologist, C.S. Lewis, entered the room. The men turned their attention to the late comer and asked him, “So Lewis, what makes Christianity different from other religions?”

He looked at them and said one word.

“Mercy.”

When he spoke, everyone remained quiet.

The debate was over.

What is mercy?

Mercy is undeserved kindness.

We believe God is kind to those who do not deserve His kindness at all. In another part of the Bible, it says, When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy (Titus 3:4-6).

Now I know what to do.

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Amici at the Atrium, SM Megamall

Last Friday, my friend Pearl and I wanted to treat ourselves to a nice lunch. But where? We seemed to have gone through all the food places in SM Megamall. Then she said, I'd like to eat pasta. That decided it! I suddenly remembered Amici at the SM Megamall Atrium. It's been ages since I last ate there. I was also in the mood for gelato :)

I had Spinach Ravioli, I think it's new. Wasn't on the menu last time. I forgot how much, about P230. Yummy, I loved that it was creamy with some sprinkling of parmesan cheese, love cheese. The waiter placed it at the center of our table, he thought it was for sharing. I said, no I don't share, it's just for me  :)

 

We did share this Al Quattro Formaggi (Four Cheese Pizza), P290. Did I say I looooove cheese?

 

Pearl had Spaghetti Al Pomodoro, P175. I like that one too.

 

Of course, must not forget my gelato, Mint with Chocolate, one scoop, P60.

 

Pearl had Choco with Nuts.

 

I also had iced tea, bottomless at P90 and Pearl has a coke. Always happy to eat at Amici. Linking up with Food Trip Friday!

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Fried Crispy Salmon Skin Crackers

When our division has a cause to celebrate, we always, always have lunch at Summer Palace in Edsa Shangrila Hotel. You can imagine we've probably tried almost all their dishes by now. Yesterday though I noticed a new item on the menu...or maybe I just never saw it before? In any case, I added it to our lunch menu as well as an interesting vegetable dish.

 

Fried Crispy Salmon Skin Crackers (P300/order). Delicious! Really crispy and not greasy at all. Great dipped in vinegar with some chopped garlic.

 

 

Sauteéd Diced Vegetables with Pine Nuts on Lettuce Bed (P870/large order). Really good, a little sweet for me but good just the same. To eat, roll it up in the lettuce and take a bite :)

 

Summer Palace, Edsa Shangrila Hotel, Garden Way, Ortigas Center, Pasig City

 

Linking up with Food Trip Friday and My Sassy Chef!

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Pepper Lunch at SM Megamall

I was eager to eat at Pepper Lunch in SM Megamall when I saw it open last month but it was only yesterday that I got to have lunch there with my friends. I was expecting it to have a long line at lunchtime like Bon Chon when it opened but there were only few people eating. Good for us we didn't have to wait in line to eat. There's my friend Bex, first in line :)

The place is spacious and I like the layout, simple and very minimalistic, very Japanese. I like it when the look and feel of the restaurant matches the origin of the food like New Bombay at the Podium which serves indian food. You seldom find places like these especially in malls.

 

We had to study the menu quite a bit because everything looked delicious. If I could I would have it all at once  :) And there' s what they called the bonus meal, with drink plus a choice of soup, mashed potato or ice cream. The cakes looked good too. Here's the gel who was first in line, happy to have finished ordering :)

 

I had Beef Pepper Rice (P215) and Miso Soup (P55).

 

Beef Teriyaki with Egg (P325) plus bonus meal of P60 (coke and ice cream)

 

I didn't notice they had Double Beef Pepper Steak (275). That always happens to me. I would have ordered the double.

 

The ice cream was not sweet at all. It's the chocolate syrup that made it sweet. Perfect for those who are dieting. Btw, I didn't order a drink intending to ask for water. A server gave me water without my having to ask for it. Good service and great food!

Linking up with My Sassy Chef and Food Trip Friday.

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Omigosh An Earthquake!

It's what I fear most because we live in a high-rise building that's 40 stories and we live on the 36th floor. In the aftermath of the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, I live in fear of earthquakes especially since the Philippines lies along the Pacific ring of fire that have frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Well, we just had a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Manila (according to the news) early this morning. I woke up at around 1:20AM because I felt our bed swaying a little. I sat up in bed thinking that maybe I was feeling dizzy from waking up suddenly. The swaying continued for what seemed like a very long time. The Twerp did not stir neither did Via's caregiver, her Tita Neneng.

When I felt the swaying stop, I debated whether to go down to the lobby. I waited a few minutes, then the swaying started again. I was praying that it would not get stronger than what I felt was a hammock slightly swaying. It stopped again after what felt like several minutes, although I guess it must have only been a minute. I thought then it would be a very weak earthquake. I logged online to check if there were any news of the earthquake but I saw none online. It just happened after all! It took a while for me to fall asleep again.

I was so surprised when my friend Bex sent me SMS about the earthquake at around 6AM saying there was an earthquake and it was a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Manila. I checked for news online again as soon as I got to the office and found out that the epicenter was in Zambales, a province about 5 hours away from Manila and that there were several aftershocks. So what should we do during earthquakes again? Here is a checklist I got from the Red Cross website. If inside the building like we were:

• Drop, cover, and hold. Move as little as possible.


• If in bed, stay there, curl up, hold on and protect your head with a pillow.


• Stay away from windows to avoid being injured by shattered glass.


• Stay indoors until the shaking stops and make sure it's safe to exit. If you must leave the building after the shaking stops, take the stairs, not the elevator as there may be power outages.


• Sprinklers and fire alarms may go off.

For more information, visit the Red Cross website.

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TGIF with The Green Tomato

Most everyone I know look forward to Fridays especially if they've had a tough week at work. My friends and I were especially looking forward to a get together after some of them came back from a trip to Hong Kong. We have a great system for traveling with friends. Everyone who's going on the trip put money in a "pot" which will be spending money of the group for the entire trip. Someone is assigned treasurer and does the budgeting. It works out great. Anyway, they had money left over and decided to treat the whole group to pizza to unwind after work.

We all met at our office cafeteria after work and ordered pizza from The Green Tomato.

Four Cheese with Cheddar, Mozzarella, Feta and Parmesan with Pesto. This is my favorite! So yummy and cheesy  :)

Margherita with fresh tomato slices and pesto. A little trivia, Margherita is what I wanted to name the Twerp but Daddy had other ideas. He was appalled! He said, how could I name our baby after pizza. Her name should mean something. So he named the Twerp and she ended up with very, very long name full of meaning :D

Pepperoni Feast with pepperoni, onions and bell peppers. Good, pepperoni is always good.

I brought along the Asti Martini my boss gave me last Christmas. It's been in my office drawer for so long.

We had a great time, talking about their recent trip and planning next year's trip. Voting is still open for Singapore, Taiwan or Hong Kong again. I voted Singapore because I want to bring the Twerp to Universal Studios. Crossing my fingers!

The Green Tomato, 6th Level Shangrila Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila

 

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The Secret to a Long Life

The Twerp and I went to my Aunt's birthday last night. It was her 80th birthday. She is my father's older sister and has the same birthday as my father who passed away about 8 years ago. He wasn't even 70. I said to my cousin how most of the sisters were still alive and all the brothers have passed away. He said that women usually live longer than men. Well...maybe. Below is a photo of three of my father's sisters: the youngest, 70 (second from left); the eldest, 85 (third from left); and the birthday celebrant (right most).

I'm not sure about my cousin's theory but on my mother side, I had a grandfather who lived to be 99. His eldest daughter, my favorite aunt is now 96, still strong, healthy and in command of her faculties. There many aunties that are 85 years old and more.

So what's the secret to living a long life? For me, it's a combination of the following:

• The lifestyle back then in their generation was much simpler and the kind of world they grew up in had less pollution, chemicals and processed food.


• A strong faith. My aunt is like a rock in her faith and accepts anything that comes her. Nothing fazes her and she never worries or fears anything.


• Being a giving person. She is not rich but gives generously of her time and money without expecting anything in return.


• She is also humble, never putting herself forward or over anyone.

In a nutshell, clean and simple living with no fears and worries. What do you think is the secret to a long and healthy life?

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Heat, Edsa Shangrila

My friend R had 50% off vouchers at any restaurant in Edsa Shangrila Hotel. She's been having dinners at Summer Palace and Heat for a few days now as the vouchers expire on June 30. Today I had lunch with her at Heat, 50% off of course. I brought along my little girl who enjoyed tasting all the desserts.

 R being very chatty, got the chef to cook up the cold prawns. He came up with this cooked with some spices. Good but a little sweet for my taste.

The first round I got Spinach soup with Tofu, Duck, and dimsum.

Round 2 I got some Sushi, Lechon Kawali, Eggplants and Green Mangoes with Shrimp Paste

Round 3, Beef Rendang (not that good), more Lechon Kawali (really crispy skin) and assorted hard and soft cheeses and bread.

 A waiter had this delight prepared for us. Shrimp with Lemon Butter Sauce. Yum!

My 2 year old loved the Chocolate Fondue. I did too!

  Mangoes, bananas,and blueberry with cream

 Creme Brulee, Mango Cheesecake and Panna Cotta

 Happy faces and happy tummies  :)

Chocolate lipstick anyone?

Regular price of lunch buffet at Heat is about P1,400++. We paid P1,600 for both of us and not charge for the dessert critiquing toddler.

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Blood Test

Getting blood extracted makes us uneasy and sometimes downright terrified. I know I was. It became a little easier after having it done yearly for my annual physical exam.

Yesterday, I brought Via to a pedia-allergologist at the Medical City. She's had her cough for months now, it comes and goes, but this time it's been 2 months. Daddy said her lungs were clear and it's allergy or asthma most likely.  For my peace of mind I decided to bring her to this specialist who I've heard was very good. She was! Consultation is by appointment and when we got to her clinic, we were ushered in right away. No long wait in line.

Anyway, she wanted Via to get a blood test (Total IgE) to determine if she had any allergies to anything. We went to Ambulatory Services on the ground floor for the blood test. There were few people around as it was late in the afternoon and soon it was Via's turn.

The Medtech (a woman) looked  apprehensive while looking at Via although she smiled at Via and made noises that was supposed to calm her. Hello Baby, she said. The Medtech asked me to hold her legs and arms and keep her still. She wrapped the rubber around Via's right arm and tried to look for a vein but couldn't find one. She then tried the left arm where she found a viable vein to extract the blood. This won't take long Baby. Are you ready Mommy? I had Via's legs between mine, held her arms and sang a nursery song that was familiar to her....


in and out, the dancing bluebird....in and out, the dancing bluebird...in and out, the dancing bluebird, Jesus is my master....

then the Medtech started the blood extraction. Via did not even struggle. She just sat there looking on while blood was being extracted. The Medtech could hardly believe it. I love your Baby! I love your Baby! She's such a good girl! Then it was done. She put cotton where the needle went it and taped it. 

I was not surprised because the last time Via had her vaccine she just sat there looking while the vaccine was being injected in her thigh. But I thought she might protest with this time because even grownups dread blood extractions. I have to give credit to the Medtech too as she must have been really good.

All done, we went home with Via poking the cotton on her arm saying, blood....blood. I explained why blood was taken even if she probably doesn't understand it yet. 

I'm so proud of you Via! You're so brave!

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Yaya Relief

I had written about my difficulties with the Twerp's yaya and how I'm looking for a suitable replacement. Finally, we did. Rather, her first caregiver who's my cousin came back. She took care of Via when she was a month old until about 7 months. She had to leave because she was given a job at her hometown's municipal office. She has children so I understand that she prefers to be with her family. However, her paycheck was not regular and she decided to resign from that job. Lucky for us.

I had not realized how much stress the previous yaya was giving me. I even had to have physical therapy for my neck and shoulders because the muscles have become bunched from stress. I am so relieved and feel so much better that Via is in good hands.

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Keep Them Coming

Even before Via was born, friends and relatives have been giving me baby stuff. Brand new or hand me downs, everything welcome, I'm not choosy :)  I have not had to spend a lot for her clothes, toys and other stuff. Until now the gifts keep coming. Via still has shoes in reserve and clothes that are still too big to wear. Yesterday, I went to pick up another package sent by an aunt in LA through a friend.

The little twerp loves gifts and opening them. She was even happier to see the contents and tried everything on immediately. Thank you Tita C!

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A Little Surgery

Every year during my annual physical exam I'm reminded to have this little bump at the back my head removed. It's been there for years. It was even x-rayed to see if it's something to be concerned about. Apparently it's nothing serious. Still this year I decided to finally have it removed. It's a minor, outpatient procedure. It was done by a doctor in our office clinic who's also a surgeon. He said he's authorized to use the operating room in Megaclinic in SM Megamall so that is where he'll do it. 

We met at Megaclinic after work and I got dressed in a hospital gown and changed my shoes to a sterile one from their shoe rack. But they told me to put my shoes on the same shoe rack so those shoes aren't really sterile anymore. I lay on my stomach on the operating table but had nowhere to put my arms where it would be comfortable. So the attendants attached a makeshift arm rest to the operating table. I was amused by the whole thing because it's like a comedy sitcom. The procedure too about 15 minutes including the closing of the incision. 

Then Dr. D said the tape to hold the gauze in place won't stick to my hair. We needed to improvise. He said I needed a headband such as those worn by athletes to keep sweat from trickling down their face. Since I didn't have one with me, I got changed and went to SM department store to buy the headband. Couldn't find one so I got a headband for the hair with ribbon. P and Via met me after and we had dinner. I looked ridiculous walking around the mall wearing that headband with ribbon around my forehead. I even met an officemate who thought I did it on purpose. Some new style I was trying out.

I wasn't supposed to get it wet for about a week but the next day we played badminton and I just had to wash my hair and I washed it everyday after that. Luckily it didn't get infected. I blow dryed my hair each time making sure it was thoroughly dry and applied betadine plus I took antibiotics.

I healed quickly and the bald patch is not noticeable once hair is brushed over it.

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Travel Souvenirs

During the holidays, I went through my clothes to give some of them away because we have very limited space at home. I realized I had so many T Shirts. It's what I buy as souvenir whenever I travel. I also collect keychains and refrigerator magnets but they're difficult to find in some places I've been to like in P's hometown in Indonesia or in Laos. T Shirts, however, are always available as souvenir items.

When we went to Bangkok, I saw shirts in Chatuchak market with messages that I found amusing. I got one of those and a kid's shirt with elephants that was so cute.

  

T Shirts would make a great  valentines day gift especially if you're like some people who have difficulty expressing their feelings. Just have it made to order and print whatever is in your heart. Twins T Shirts are really cute especially on babies. It makes them look even more adorable. 

I have T Shirts from around the Philippines but some of my favorite T Shirt souvenirs are the ones I got in the US because the material is pure 100% cotton. Very comfortable. I bought kids shirts because the adult medium size in the US is like XL in Philippine size. Besides, the designs on children's T Shirts are much nicer. These two shirts are from Monterey when we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and went whale watching.

   

But back to my sorting, I think I will hang on to my souvenir shirts and just store them in a box. It's great to look at them once in a while and remember the travels to those places.

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