February 1 marks the start of a new page in our Gregorian calendar. This also means that I have to start counting some more days before turning 34!
Sitting on my favorite couch in one corner of our crib, at the same time sipping a steaming mug of green tea with mint and honey, I started to jot down a list of why I should always be grateful:
- Loving and industrious parents.
- Naughty-but-nice sisters (and silent brother/s-in-law).
- A witty niece and an adorable nephew.
- Wonderful family, my wonderful aunts, uncles, and cousins (and super-extended relatives).
- Supportive and sensible girl friends and best friends.
- Past and present colleagues who spice up my realm called "work".
- A job (err, passion) that I love doing.
- Challenging career path that I never regretted taking.
- Just-enough money to pay my dues and debts (when will it ever end?)
- A church nearby where I could openly practice my belief.
- Enough mp3s in my hard drive to accompany me in my silent sanctuary.
- Feel-good chick flicks that I could watch over and over!
- Pistachio nuts in my cupboard.
- Enough stock of emergency food supplies (noodles and canned goods) in the pantry.
- Ability to cook and make other people satiated and happy!
- Heart-breaking but mind-opening relationship that has finally come to its "FINAL finale" (notice the redundancy?)
- A nice room to call my own, albeit temporarily (a.k.a. Yenster's Hub!)
- Having my dependable laptop (Baby Leno) that is now almost 4 years old, and a new heavy-duty HDD, too.
- Baby Mix that captures how I see the world through its lens (although most of the time still in AUTO mode.)
- Being able to re-live the history of World War II and the olden days in the arms of my grandparents before they were called back by the Supreme Being.
- Travel - either alone, with friends, or with my mother. (And sent Tatay and Nanay to a grand vacation with my girl friends!)
- That gift of being able to make someone smile and feel better. I love surprises.
- Having a closely knit neighborhood who treat each other as family.
- Mentors who have helped me become a better person and a better leader (by becoming a good follower first.)
- Classmates (and batch mates) who believed in me ... and those who did not Ü.
- My gift of gab, a miniscule talent in writing, and a dash of wit.
- Living at an age where technology is at its peak.
- I am a Gen X'er, which means that I was privileged to run and play in the streets (not just in front of a large screen), climb mango trees, bathe in clean rivers, and know how a firefly actually looks like.
- Being able to watch a good movie, read a good book, dine at a fancy food shop, or just sing to my heart's delight.
- Living in a comfortable house, although not grand, but something I truly call HOME.
- People who challenge what I know because it picks my brain and allows me to persevere more.
- Having the will to understand the meaning of "patience," "hard work," and "humility."
- A heart that never stops beating (and loving).
- A merciful God who has taken me back into His arms even if I had gone astray for quite a while.
These and more make up my sojourn to this day.
If you feel you are a part of this list, please accept my sincerest gratitude. Thank you so much!
Let the countdown begin!!!
Tick...tock...
said the clock.
Any moment from now,
my alarm will ring
For sure to remind me
it's already morning.
What has just happened?
I've been up all night.
Later, it'll be a problem
focusing with all my might.
So dear Sleep fairy
where are you?
Spare me some sleep
for an hour or two!
Growing up as a typical barrio lass, somehow we were expected to be like our mother (and grandmother and great, great grandmother) - early riser, nurturing, industrious, selfless, loving, and frugal, to name a few. We were raised to know what to do first thing on a Saturday - pick up the broom and sweep the floor. Instead of watching TV or play outside, we were asked to help with household chores.
Stubborn as I could be, I chose the carefree world. I climbed trees; mastered the rules of piko, patintero, and sikyo*; and played from dusk till dawn. I preferred reading books and studying my lessons over things stored in the pantry.
I was used to having everything served before my eyes. Before the sun goes up, my mother and my aunt have already finished the laundry. Breakfast is warm. My lunchbox has been neatly packed.
There is no wonder that I could barely cook a decent fried egg and steamed rice even when I was already in senior high school back then. My friends could attest to that.
Things changed after college graduation and passing the licensure exam. Bum days would either mean job hunting or house cleaning. That was the time I started to listen intently to my mother. She would always tell me, "Don't ask. Just watch." And watch was what I really did!
Later on, I helped out in peeling a potato or two. "Don't cut it like that, cut it in cubes.. it's for menudo**," Nanay would often tell me. My mind would always argue with her ... "Will it change the taste of the food if I cut the veggies differently?"
When she was diagnosed to have breast cancer and had to totally stop doing household chores after the surgery and chemotherapy, that's when I had my baptism of fire.
It was not easy. I had to wake up early in the morning, and I am not a morning person to begin with. There were meals to be planned for the whole day to be able to feed 8 people (or more.) I had to take on the marketing task alone; learned how to haggle; got introduced to all varieties of fish, meat, and all the veggies in the Bahay Kubo song. I discovered how to select the freshest produce.
The journey was not a breeze though. I've had bloopers here and there. On my first attempt at cooking (Filipino) beef stew, I put the cardava bananas (saba) ahead of the potatoes. By the time the tubers have perfectly cooked, the bananas have already dissolved with the broth. :)
And so they say the rest is history. Several years down the road, here I am in a foreign land still keeping the magic apron and soup ladle with me.
Cooking, for me, is love. I have seen that kind of affection with how my mother meticulously prepares each meal for us.
I cook for the people who are special to me. This is my therapy. I am happy when they feel gratified with what's on the plate in front of them, and I will cook as long as my hands (and taste buds) would allow me to.
Looking back, that girl who used to flinch at the sight of a stove has grown to become a wonderful cook... just like her mom. ♥
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* Traditional street games in the Philippines
**A traditional stew in the Philippines
