Laguna De Bay

After church, my In-laws decided to take us to Market Market to have some lunch. While there I finally decided to buy some herbs I’ve heard about in other cooking blogs–herbs that you can use to add flavor to your cooking. I bought Sweet Basil (P75) and Thyme (P50). I also bought some garden soil (P50) for replanting. As of now I only have a vague idea on how to use it, I know basil is added on pasta and thyme, well… i still have to research. The important thing is the herbs are now readily available whenever I come across a recipe that needs one.
Next we stopped by our apartment to let the heat pass. Muning was tired from the journey and slept somewhere we couldn’t reach. At around 4pm we went for a trip to check the Rizal area. My father-in-law suddenly had the urge to see Laguna Bay. I was also curious since there are a lot of housing in the Rizal area but we were having second thoughts because it might be too far from Libis where S works.We passed thru Cainta, Taytay, then Angono. The sights I saw reminded me of my childhood days in the province. After getting lost we finally arrived in Wawa where we took some pictures. It’s nice to see a peaceful lake instead of the buildings and concrete cement which is abundant in the city.

To Binan we went

The roads were practically empty when we decided to go home to visit our lola during the holiday. What normally is a three hour trip took us only an hour and a half. As we were breezing through the South Expressway, I felt that this time it really lived up to its name. Our kitten, Muning, obviously felt at ease too. For the first time since we turned his world upside down (we left our apartment with him inside a box) he was able to sleep. Z was, as usual in awe, with the sights he saw. It’s just the usual sights you see on the road, nothing jaw dropping, but for him the cars and trucks driving by the road are a treat. He’s especially fond of the MRT but it’s closed during the holiday.
My lola and aunt were as usual tickled pink when they saw Z. They also remarked how thin he’s getting but I already decided not to be bothered by it since Z is taller than average and quite active. My aunt was amazed at how bright he was getting. Upon seeing a carton of eggs, Z proceeded to turn all of it upside down and remarked, “Look, the eggs are all upside down!”
My husband S was bored to death. There was no computer there so he can’t play WoW but because he loves me he endured it all and counted his vacation days going by so that we can spend time with my relatives. Z also had a great time swimming in my lola’s big batya. He loved it so much that we were almost late going to church to Bicutan because he won’t get out.

Sad News

After the flurry of activities during the weekend, I was shocked to hear that the former Pres. Cory Aquino has colon cancer. Being the main proponent of Edsa I, the first woman President of the Philippines, wife of a hero, and mother of famous tv host Kris, she is definitely a beloved icon in our country. During the past few months she was again visible for supporting whistleblower Jun Lozada in the fight against corruption in the present administration of President Arroyo, who is ironically the second woman President. I wonder why the words “lucky bitch” suddenly comes to my mind. Maybe there is truly a wisdom behind the governor’s words.
I was naturally interested on how to prevent colon cancer. According to Wikipedia, lifestyle changes decrease the risk of colon cancer as much as 60-80%. This includes more physical activities and increase of intake of fruits and vegetables. I am aware that you can never go wrong with vegetables especially green, leafy ones and as a mother and a wife, has “aggressively” promoted the consumption of such in our house. My husband has resisted, years of poor eating habits are hard to change but I’m not waving the white flag yet. My son is a really picky eater but because I have introduced him to vegetables he’ll eat whatever vegetables I serve him, sometimes out of fear of being punished. Oh well, isn’t there a saying, “the end justifies the means?”
However, growing up as a picky eater myself I feel that I don’t serve them that much variety in vegetables. And alas, I cannot be described as the sporty type. I hope this recent news will make all of us aware that what we sow is what we reap. If we neglect our bodies now, chances are it will give up on us in the future. And as mothers, it’s our primary responsibility to influence our family.

Z’s favorites

I asked Z if he was happy, he thought for a moment and answered “I’m happy when I’m riding a car. I’m happy when I’m riding a taxi.” Truly, if there is one thing Z looks forward to, it’s his lolo coming over to pick him up. For a while, when he was a baby, Z actually thought the word lolo meant car. Whenever his lolo drives by we would tell him, “Here comes lolo, Z.” We thought he understood what we meant. But to our surprise, when he started talking he started calling the car “lolo”. So we explained that lolo is not the car but he got smart and coined the term lolo-car to refer both to his lolo and his car. Now at 3, Z still loves his lolo-car. Last Sunday, after the Pacquiao-Marquez match, his lolo came to pick us up. Since there is lack of parking space in Bicutan, his lolo parked his car somewhere else. Upon seeing him Z ran as fast as he could, gave him a hug and asked with concern, “Where’s your car, lolo?”
We went to Market Market where Z and his cousin had a grand time riding kiddie cars (P50 per 5 mins). Beside it is an elaborate network of slides which is absolutely free. They went up and down the slide while us adults rested our tired feet.

Z and his Guitar

Aside from his passion of collecting lcars (that are 4 inches or less), Z also loves playing the guitar– or should I say oves “trying” to play the guitar. Following his Daddy’s footsteps he was interested in guitars long before he could walk. When he was old enough to hold a small guitar we bought him a small cheap plastic guitar which he loved. He would bring it out with gusto everytime Daddy takes out his guitar to practice. Whenever Dad uses his pick, he must also use his very own pick, and when it was time to use the kapo, Z would insist I also look for his own kapo (actually an old kapo of his dad). When Dad sits in front of his computer to watch John Mayer videos, Z would definitely pick the prime seat (on his lap) to watch along. But after discovering Jason Mraz’s songs, which his father downloaded one day, he didn’t need any more prodding from his father. This time he would sit in front of the pc all by himself and after checking that his hat is in the same position as Jason Mraz’s hat, he would strum and sing with all his heart. So last Christmas, after breaking his fifth cheap plastic guitar (not from banging but from strumming and trying to tune the guitars that simply cannot be tuned, mind you!) we finally decided to buy him a mini replica of his Dad’s guitar. A guitar made of the finest plywood and varnished to perfection, a guitar that would make the little girls drool and would make any kid musician proud. It still cannot be tuned but when Z strums it, the sound it makes can drown even his father’s much more expensive acoustic guitar, much to his Dad’s dismay.