Saturday, September 27, 2008

Money tips

Here’s the link to an article written by Ellen Sanchez about my talk on money last Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008 at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Greenbelt 3:

http://www.herword.com/hermoney/main.php?id=moneyskills

:-)

BOOK OF THE WEEK: 9 Things a Leader Must Do by Dr. Henry Cloud. Great leaders seem to share common qualities, such as pursuing their passion, focusing on the positive, looking at the big picture, going the extra mile, etc. Dr. Cloud uses different terms such as yanking the diseased tooth in place of focusing on the positive, but his insights are still worth reading. Distributed locally by OMF Literature, Inc.

VERSE OF THE WEEK: This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, and ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Yes, I can cook

"So how do you like the chicken teriyaki I cooked? I asked my son over lunch today.

"You didn't cook this! You can't cook something this good," he replied.

And so I turned to my only witness and ally, our helper. "Di ba ako ang nagluto niyan?" I asked.

And she said, "Oo. Marunong mommy mo."

And so I reminded my son of the chicken salpicao, beef salpicao, beef teriyaki, and creamy tuna pasta he had recently. They were good, weren't they?

Well I guess this is my reward for not cooking more often over the years. Back when my son was a baby until he was almost three, I would cook more often, from kangkong in bagoong to chicken afritada, nilagang baka and beef steak. Then when we moved back to my parents' house, I stopped cooking. Why cook when there's always someone to cook?

That's why when we were in the US last year and I told my 12-year-old son I made breakfast, he refused to believe me. Oh yeah, I challenged? Let's cook tomorrow. So the next day I taught him how to boil frankfurters for breakfast. Then he said, "But I thought you didn't know how to cook! How come when I wanted hot dog before you didn't make them?" I replied via a cough/mumbled reply. Hmm. I can't remember. I must have been either busy or I just didn't want him to have so much processed food.

Anyway, so it's true, I've been cooking. I think it has to do with the number of people asking me lately as soon as they find out I'm doing some copy editing for a couple of food magazines. They ask, "So you must be a good cook!" Even my niece, seeing my monthly stash of food magazines said, "Eh di tita, magaling ka magluto?" (It was a question since she probably can't recall any dish I cooked). My sister beat me by replying right away, "Hindi (laughs). Gusto lang niyang magbasa. Di naman siya nagluluto (laughs.)"

So I'm glad to say that those days are over! I don't cook every day, but whip up something twice or thrice a week, mostly food for my son. (Secret: I rely on cookbooks and recipes in magazines.) He's getting tired of my mom's nilaga-sinigang-beefsteak routine and prefers my pasta dishes and out-of-the-ordinary fare. Besides, I can't help checking out if the "easy" recipes I'm editing are really "easy" for a newbie cook like me.

At the recent Linggo ng Wika party in school, he brought humba which I cooked myself (with help from our helper who sliced the ingredients and watched the whole thing boil). But the timpla is mine.

Maybe next time I should make sure my son sees me cooking so he'll believe his mom can cook--just not like Giada De Laurentiis. Yet.

BOOK OF THE WEEK. I've been intrigued by the book Epicenter by Joel Rosenberg ever since our pastor mentioned it, and my d-group mate Joy raved about it. So I bought a hardbound copy (couldn't wait for the paperback) when I saw one at St. Francis Bookstore. The author seems to have a gift. Before 9/11 happened, he wrote a novel describing a scene where airplanes were used to attack an American city. The book was still not printed at the time 9/11 happened. There were other instances. Anyway, in Epicenter, Rosenberg analyzes the current events happening in the Middle East in the light of Ezekiel 38 and 39 in the Bible. You better read this.

VERSE OF THE WEEK: But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16