The smurf smile!

Defined as "smiling without showing teeth," this was taught by none other than Ate Mara during our Christmas eve celebration. Miguel picked it up right away and put it to good use the entire night.








I think, though, that the best smurf smile belongs to Ninang Aly :)

Ever heard of Bo

...Sanchez? His writings have been circulating in the emails for years, and some time ago I came across another priceless one.

It was about being "emotionally present" to your family. You really ought to read the whole article. But I liked the part where he said that you should praise your kids seven times a day. Glad to say that it's something that I do, from simple things like "you're so cute," "I like the way you're sitting" (with feet of the chair), or "I like it that you say please and thank you." And I do tell him that I love him several times a day.

Come to think of it, it's easy to be sweet with kids. With them, we dispense the hugs freely and unabashedly. It's with the adults that we seem to have a problem.

I think that most of us grew up with parents who were not very expressive. I may be wrong, but that's what I reckon from the conversations I've had with colleagues and friends.

Like my Chinese producer whose mother always said at mealtimes, "Eat that...it costs P400 per kilo!" She grew up resenting her mom's habit of putting a price on the food that they were served. Until she read Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club and realized that this was her mom's way of saying that she was giving them the very best.

Between my mom and pop, mom is the more reserved. Dad was not the kind to express his feelings with words, but he certainly was affectionate - at least with the girls. It's something that my sis and I have inherited in great amounts. But you can imagine my frustration with mom, who was so careful not to pass judgment on anyone that she even forgot to praise her kids.

No, I don't take it against her; I love my mom totally. Even if she didn't want our heads to grow big with praise, at least she never said anything bad to us. No name-calling, no accusations...ever. Even when I was really out of line.

It's just that after reading Bo's article about praising your kids seven times a day, I figured I ought to do the same with my mom. Heck, you ought to do it with everyone. It's just that it's a bit awkward when you're breaking in an adult onto new habits. But I don't mind. Like I said, I love her to pieces.

23/100

Happy Mother's Day!

(For Sunday, May 14, 2006)

I know that it's late but hey it was a hectic day. Not a lot of Filipino families observe this day, but I guess that my family is different.

It was a happy celebration, with complete attendance by the clan. Food lined up was:

5 kinds of chips
2 kinds of dips
baked chicken with cheese and parsley
pork barbecue
noodles from Sun Moon Garden
4 kinds of cake
2 kinds of ice cream
ginataang mais (sweet corn cooked with sticky rice)

I guess that my family's BIG on dessert. Good thing that somebody brought me oranges; that means I still stick to my "diet" :)

13/100

Hello 2006!

Now that my deadlines have been met I can sit back and write again.

The new year started off pretty good. Miguel and I have been arriving at school - and at work - on time. Kinda getting ready for June, when I'll be bringing him to big school instead.

This morning Miguel practically jumped up from bed at 6 a.m. because he wanted to play Yu-Gi-Oh before dressing up for school. I usually wake up at 6:30, and Ninang usually wakes him up at 6:45. Imagine her surprise when she came in to find us with a card game in progress.

Talk about planning ahead. Mom told me that last night he turned of the TV at 8:30 and told the nanny that it was time for him to go to bed. No wonder. This kid is very motivated when it comes to play.

I guess that I should write about the holidays but unfortunately my sis lost her digicam so I will rely on the relatives for images. Let me gather my thoughts a moment. Hmm. Well, we stayed up a lot and ate a lot and played a lot of Harry Potter on the PS2. The Christmas and New Year's eve gatherings and cousins' night out were a blast as usual. Miguel decided that he believes in Santa Claus this year, so it's fortunate that Santa gifted him with a video game.

No, Miguel doesn't have his own room yet, nor his own bed. But at least he's going to big school. Thank God for that.

Shake yer groove thing

What can I say? It was a really great wedding. Miguel dutifully fulfilled his role as ringbearer, and at the reception afterward, he finally learned to dance.

No thanks to me, that is.

The minute I left the dance floor, he took on the 2 flower girls, who were much better dancers - and not to mention, teachers. He started copying their moves, and by the time I got back, Miguel was dancing with everybody else!



The drinks were flowing, the music was great, and all our loved ones were present. My cousin Lina (a.k.a. "disco queen") admitted that her entire table was tipsy even before dinner began. Me? I didn't need a single drink to get me on the floor. I didn't even care that I couldn't dance to save myself.

Good thing that I had a more-than-willing dance partner :)

Kitchen insanity

Last Saturday I decided to cook for my family and friends. Just 2 dishes, since I really don't cook: our famous carbonara, and Lemon Chicken Caper, a recipe from my officemate.

Here's what I learned from the whole experience.

1. Women who can cook a delicious meal and still look good are goddesses.
How do they do it? I only had to cook 2 dishes, but I had help from my mom, my sis, and our kitchen helper. And don't forget other details like the salad, garlic bread, serving dishes, and ice.

2. Never cook a first-time dish for a big group.
It looks easy enough when you read the recipe - but it's a different story when you're doing it from beginning to end. First-time dishes are fine for a regular day, but you don't need the pressure when you have to entertain guests as well. Thank God that these people are all family to me.

3. Stick to the recipe.
Improvising is okay, but not for first-time recipes. Save the fine-tuning for later. No matter how much of a hurry you're in, resist the temptation to pour in the whole bottle of capers when the recipe calls for only 4 tablespoons. :D

4. Have mom in the kitchen.
Or someone like her, to build your confidence. Though she isn't a cook, my mom's always supportive, never puts anyone down and always helps out. I'm a lucky gal ain't I?

5. Taste the salad dressing first.
I just grabbed the first bottle I saw, assuming that it was the one my mom told me about. By the time I sat down to eat most of the guests had finished their salad - too late! My apologies to the unsuspecting victims, myself included.

6. Have at least one back-up.
One sure-fire dish that you didn't cook yourself. Grill Queen to the rescue!

7. Prepare post-meal snacks and/or activities.
Some love coffee; others like nuts. For us, Doritos and and Playstation 2 did the trick. Not to mention chocolate truffles (including take-home) for Gai.


But what I learned most was that my family loves me. Because my sister fussed over the carbonara. Because my mom stuck it out in the kitchen with me. Because nobody complained about the sub-standard salad dressing. (Fie Craving's Ceasar's salad dressing!) And because they ate everything that I served.

I didn't get a rave review that day but the fact that all that carbonara was wiped out the following day convinced me that it wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was quite good.

Well. Practice makes perfect. But I promise myself that I'll take up a cooking class someday. Fiiind.