Friday, December 28, 2012

SeAwEeDy!


fresh water seaweeds and frontyard-grown tomatoes drizzled with bagoong halubaybay and sukang Basi (Also known as Sukang-Iloko, Basi is a kind of vinegar fermented from sugar cane wine that has turned sour-- "freshlysour" and better than apple cider vinegar.)

yum!

:)



chatterbox no more

My teenage nephews respond better when I ask "wazzup?" 

instead of the classic and sweet Tita Pretty salutation. 

Learning their language which is a hybrid of jargon and abbreviations 


is quite a challenge yet something that I'm learning a lot from. 


Nevertheless, each conversation with my used to be chatterbox babies always ends with


"I love you, Tita Pretty!"


:-)

KG and JM

KG


Rafael

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

happy new concoction! :)

Steep.
Blend your classic condensed milk with a spoonful of CREAM.
Shock with ice!
yum! :)

Sunday, December 23, 2012

2012
















This is the year that I

wrote more than last year,

cooked more and made milktea concoctions,

met extraordinary people from different walks and paradox of life (young, old, families, waiting, busy, forwarding calls, online, offline, invisible, invincible, vulnerable, rich but poor, happy but lonely, cheerful, hopeful, and a lot more) and they all touched my life and made me super laugh/cry in extraordinary ways.

marked september 4 on my journal,

dealt with little and big work related and personal issues,

made a few 'yes and no' challenging decisions,

cried and prayed more than ever,

stumbled and fell countless of times,

stood up by grace and was reminded of the promise (promises actually) countless of times,

went on food renegade expedition,

got confined in the ER for the first time,

wrote Ninang a letter,

held the few days old Gabriel Marcus in my arms (today),

missed/miss nephews/niece in Irvine more than ever,

watched two great films,

embraced the simplest things more than ever,


- - - and the long list goes on and on...



REPOSTED

Saturday, September 15, 2012


i was led to this...

to a beautiful season i am yet to completely fathom.

there are things that science and even hard-core psychology cannot explain (and mend).

i just dont want to 'lose sight of the reason for the journey

or miss a chance to see a rainbow along the way.'

-=(.")(",)=-


Monday, September 17, 2012


:-)

i am certain more than ever that God cares more about what our heart contains than anything else this life and ego hold so dear- youth, vanity, wealth, comfort, fame, power, and all the bits and pieces this mundane world can offer. and as my heart welled with tears this past days (weeks actually), i got to reflect on life like never before. i realized more clearly now how amazing (and life changing) it can be to give until it hurts and that happiness is just merely an effect of it. yes, im hurting but i am so holding on to the promise. and as always, this undeserved grace is bringing me back on track once again.










Friday, December 7, 2012

SPEDtacular!

December 1, 2012

Super thanks, UST- Guild of Thomasian Speducators for inviting me.

Hanggang sa muli!

:-)


University of Santo Tomas- Medicine Auditorium


Brina, we are so proud of you! :-)





Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Food Renegades Meetup at Aling Lucing's

Angeles, Pampanga.

yum! 


This tells it all... :-)
Tupig! Ang aking paborito! :-)





Shouldn't desserts come first? last? Whatever, whenever. Try Nathaniel's Buko Pandan :-) 

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Surprise! :)


November 8

I was out the whole day yesterday for a conference.

When I got back to class today…

Jireh: Teacher, I have something for you!

Me: Really? Do you mean the stickers?
(Jireh left stickers for me yesterday)

Jireh: Yes, Teacher.

Me: Thank you, Jireh! Why did you give me stickers?

Jireh: Because I want to surprise you!

Me: Why do you want to surprise me?

Jireh: Because I love you teacher!





















I love you too!

:-)

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Curiosity Got the Gourmand

blanched spinach

Tita Pretty's Super Mango Salad Dressing (hahaha!)

roasted sesame seeds

kani strips

yum!

:-)

La Mesa Grill

Crispy Tawilis with Mangga

Sinigang na Hipon (as always) 

Adobong Kangkong 

at mga kwentong nakakatawa at nakakaloka kasama si Ate Ai.

:-)






Friday, November 23, 2012

You were with me all along...

November 22, 2012

Sophia's prayer today went something like this,

"Lord, thank you for our classmates, thank you for our tables and chairs, thank you for our toys,

(then she paused for a moment) and thank you for Teacher Carmela's heart..."




A few minutes ago...

Random thoughts:

It was like a deafening crescendo.

Then a terrifying silence.

No comment.

No excuses.

No reservations.

No holding back.

No regrets.

I'm listening.

I will listen

(like I always do).











Tuesday, November 13, 2012

the week that was...


Monday- Chapter 2

Tuesday- Lessons from Chapter 2

Wednesday- Small talks

Thursday- Reflecting (again)

Friday- Bagoong Club, music and lyrics, small talks

Saturday- Filmagine (postponed)

Sunday- Mercato, E.R., dextrose, electrolytes/blood test, 2 vials of high dosage meds

(1 antihistamine, 1 to keep me alive)


:-)

Lord, thank you for extending my life (for the nth time).
I knew you were there with me at the E.R.
While my entire body was crushing in pain, You held me tight.
You kept me and my family calm.
You provided.
You are amazing!
I love you beyond words.

Friday, November 9, 2012

PeopleCultureCuisine

What can be more colorful than these three?

Will find out soon!

:-)

Music and Lyrics

Who's that baby??!

chubby, chubby!!!




















































:-)

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Midyear Marvels

Dear Ninang,

Thank you very much for taking care of me.

Thank you for reminding me of so many things while I was there.

Thank you for the afternoon and before-going-to-sleep talks.

Thank you for listening intently to my stories.

Don't worry about me.

I know there are a lot of things I still need to learn, unlearn and relearn.

The Lord has yet to unfold so many exciting adventures in my life.

Right now, He is teaching me to just hold on, savor each teachable moment and

let Him do things for me.

I know I need this. I need to learn how to navigate through life's transitions

and to journey with Him alone.

I don't always make the right decisions.

But I am always blessed with another page, another chapter,

another chance.

Thank you for disciplining me when I'm being stubborn and

at the same time making me feel so loved.

I hope that when I become a mom, I can also somehow give to my children the same immensity of

discipline and love you and Nanay unconditionally showered on me.

I love you very much.

-Pretty




Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The Ultimate Gift

Up and about!

Mornings, how I love thee!

Chill...

Little rascals

Pretty: Ninang, sino mas makulit samin ni Bennet nung bata ako?
Ninang: Ikaw.


















































































This, I will never trade for anything in the world and will forever praise and thank the Lord all the days of my life for blessing me with... the ultimate gift...

Love and Relationships.

:-)



Saturday, October 27, 2012

Babies Day Out!

Avatar with his silly face 

Everything will be alright :)
Bennet: Tita Pretty, ang ganda mo talaga!
Ivan: Mama Pretty, let's go na, binobola ka lang nyan!


Look who's giving Tita Pretty the best massage ever!
(Thank you, Bennet!)




















































Soon these boys will be taller than Tita Pretty
:-)


gathering hues

One day, we will find the answers,

the right words,

the right time...






















and they will all be simple.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

If things were easy to find, they wouldn't be worth finding. 
-Thomas Schell, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close


super thanks, my fairy dearest!
















hot choco!!! :)