God is Enough!

There are times in our lives when we feel so alone... its as if everybody has turned their backs all of a sudden. Its like the world has gone crazy and you are by your lonesome, cold, weary, hungry, tired and alone. You look somewhere for something but its not there anymore. You sometimes see things only for a fleeting moment, cloudy and very temporary, more like a mirage... life will knock you down on all fours... life will make you crawl literally but the good thing is that life will likewise help you up. nothing is ever permanent in this world. all these comes with the realization that we are never alone, in fact, during the times that we felt so alone, There is actually somebody who is there with us, keeping us company all throughout our ordeal, He sits there silently with us, keeping watch. He cries when we cry, He hurts when we hurt, He helps us up when we are down... and He forever reassures us that His love is everlasting. Seeing is hard, but all He asks of us is to trust blindly, like that of a child... to trust with all our hearts for His mercy and His compassion. And He wants us to feel His presence by "seeing" with our hearts... to see and feel that His goodness is beyond measure, that He is always constant in our lives. It is through this constancy that we will never be alone... He alone cares when all others stop caring, He alone protects when we are at our most vulnerable, He alone feeds us when we are "hungry", He alone gives us rest when we are tired, He alone warms us when we are cold and weary... God alone is enough... 

Have a "trusting" weekend y'all! PEACE! 

Wisdom on the street

On a lazy saturday morning, while waiting for companions for an out of town voters education engagement. I saw an old man on the other side of the street. He was thin, cruffy, dirty, and carrying a dirty old bag of what must probably be his meager belongings. He sat on an obscure corner of the park... just sat there looking curiously at passersby. Seems oblivious to the world around him. People were avoiding him as if he was infected with the plague or something... He wasn't even asking for anything, just sat there, staring blankly at people. Maybe he was hungry or was waiting for somebody to give him something. Found myself crossing the street and while enjoying my morning puff of "vitamin c", I decided to strike a conversation with the  man. I can see his apprehension at first, maybe he was wondering why another old man would come up to him asking all sorts of stupid questions. He just stared blankly at me. I asked him from where he was to which there was no answer. Asked him again and this time started blabbing incoherent words.I just stood there trying to make sense of what he was saying and while looking at him intently, I noticed the lines on his face and callouses on his hands. Telltale signs that this man must have been a worker during his younger days, he had strong looking shoulders that has seen better days and he must have been mid sixtyish or something. Asked if he still has family nearby and all he said was they live from afar... asked him why he chose not to be with his family and his answer startled me. He said that this world has no room for people like him and that he was better off wandering in the streets... kinda ordinary, but the next really was a surprise. He says that he sees love on the streets everyday and he feels it all around him despite being spat on, heckled and looked down upon by people. He says there is still good in people despite their humanity and that he would be happy if people were a lot less complicated... I cant believe for the life of me hearing that from the old man... night came, and on my way home, what he said lingered on in my mind till i was about to go to bed. surely, that was somebody else speaking to me that morning and was so profuse with thanks for that day's dose of wisdom 101. Now, who says nothing good can come out of the streets, there was and lucky me, I just found one... 

Happy weekend y'all!!! PEACE!

extraordinary treats from "Chef Lolita"

my foodie mom

Had the opportunity once again to spend Christmas and the New Year with family and was so glad to see my mom in good health. Well, not exactly in the best of health as she is still recuperating from herpes zoster opthalmicus which infected her left eye and required a two week stay at the hospital; but was nonetheless in good spirits and was her usual self at her “office”(the kitchen). She still could create masterpieces and was so inspired seeing her in her best element, cooking that is. Told her to just let me do the cooking or at least help her out but she would just brush me aside with an instant order to go out of her “office” pronto. Yup… it was from my old lady that I learned the ropes of cooking. And being the eldest among 3 boys and an only girl, I was the very first student of my mom. My kitchen education started early where I would accompany her to the market, which I totally despise back then. Carrying her market bag for her, she would painstakingly point out to me the freshest produce that she would use for certain recipes and would point out unique characteristics of every item she would purchase. And mind you, she has different markets on where best to buy stuff. Beef, goat meat and fish for instance would be best at Farmer’s Market in Cubao. For bagoong isda, tapang usa (deer meat), quinta market in quiapo is best, don’t know if they still sell deer meat there; vegetables would be at Munoz Market or at Balintawak Market. The latter being the landing zone of produce from the provinces and is probably the cheapest, vegetable wise that is, from all over the metro. The only relief to me then was the late morning snack she would buy me at every market sortie. The panciteria in Quiapo and the original bakery of Eng Bee Tin (hopia) as my favorites.

In cooking, she doesn’t go for shortcuts and would rather labor the whole day working on something than make us all eat a substandard dish later on.  Special occasions would always be a gastronomic treat because of all the delectable and mouth watering dishes she would serve. And as we ilokano’s love to say it, “nagimas unnay” (so delicious) is her cooking. But the years have taken its toll on my mom… Looking at her, I can’t help but notice her frail frame, gone are the springy step in her gait but was nonetheless still sprightly at her age. She slowed down a lot but that is to be expected and who wouldn’t at 76! Am just so thankful that given all these, she could still transform the “ordinary (dish) into something extraordinary”; maybe because for every creation comes with a whole lot of love.

Mama, I am so grateful for all the cooking that you have done for us all (me, rizza, dennis and nino). And now, you’re still doing it to all your grandchildren. Am totally amazed at how your cooking has evolved over the years. You always have something new to offer. My prayers for you are for the good Lord to continue to bless you with good health, so you can still cook for all of us, hahahaha! happiness even if on most days, you are by your lonesome, peace in you heart and in your surroundings, may you always feel in your heart the love and affection of your children and grandchildren, and for the good Lord to bless your gift and passion for cooking…   I love you mama…