Rain, Rain, Go Away

One month before Christmas.

A few more days left before spring ends and summer starts.

Less than 24 hours to landing at the home country.

It's raining today which dampens the mood of going home, not to mention that we'll be away from MacGyver for the next two weeks.

I chanced upon this spider web on the way home from mass today.

I had to use my umbrella as a backdrop to appreciate this labour of love.

Ratio and Out of Proportion

We made ravioli tonight.

It is long overdue considering we won this bid last 28 August.


Yes, yes. I know the shipping costs more than the ravioli moulds themselves but I was happy to win the bidding. (I have this obsession with ravioli and these moulds were so much cheaper than the ones in the store even with the shipping cost.)

We were supposed to have the ravioli for last night but I didn't have time to prepare the dough. (Cake? Ravioli? Cake? Ravioli? Guess which one won?)

Anyway, since the refrigerator conked out on us last night, I had to get the ravioli started pronto.

I had gotten a kilo of pork mince and a kilo of beef mince from the butcher yesterday (while the cakes were cooling) and I didn't want the meat I got to die along with the ref. So this morning, I started on the dough and mixed up the meat that would go in it.

The recipe said, "1/4 lb of ground beef and 1/4 lb of ground veal."

So I reminded myself, "1 kilo equals 2.2 lbs" but I didn't really do the math. I just decided to use 1/2 k of pork and 1/2 k of beef.

So I actually had a kilo of meat which is 2.2 lbs instead of the supposed 1/2 lb.

No wonder when I was rolling out my last portion of dough, I still had a whole lot of meat left in the bowl.

Good grief! So much for my Engineering degree.

Well, if it is any consolation, the kids liked the ravioli.

End of Warranty Guaranteed

Exactly one week before our flight to Manila, I come home to the news that the refrigerator has tripped the circuit breaker. This Whirlpool refrigerator was the first major appliance set aside for us when we finally decided we were going to migrate to Australia. It was passed on to MumofFive from her sister-in-law. When MumofFive decided to get a bigger refrigerator, this old one was moved to the garage and reserved for us, awaiting our arrival.

I don't know how old the ref is but just for the record, we HAVE been here for two years and it HAD passed through two families before us.

In a last ditch effort to extend its useful life, MacGyver removed the extension cord connecting the ref to the outlet and plugged the ref in directly. That just meant that the microwave oven had no power. No problem, I thought, I can live with that if that's what it takes to keep the refrigerator alive.

(In my mind, refrigerator ... major appliance ... major expense. LIVE! LIVE! You must LIVE!)

So fortunately, the ref was fine most of Saturday.

(Oh good, I thought, I'll have more spending money for Manila and Christmas if we don't have to get a new ref. We even baked a cake and bought ice cream from the grocery to celebrate. I'm kidding of course, we baked the cake because there was a recipe I wanted to test and we bought the ice cream because it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, in other words, it's getting quite warm these days.)

Things were looking good for the ref that MacGyver decided to revive the microwave using a different extension cord in the afternoon.

Nice. We were in business.

Or so I thought because early Sunday morning, I woke up to Gino at the doorway complaining that the power was out. The electric fan in their room had turned off and the heat had woken him up. Seems the refrigerator had decided enough is enough and it was taking all the outlets with it.

MacGyver got up, unplugged the ref and reset the circuit breaker. Everyone went back to sleep. When we got up, MacGyver switched on the circuit breaker for the ref and **poof** a couple of minutes later, MyGirl complained that her fan turned off and her laptop stopped charging.

OK. It's official now. Time for a new refrigerator.

(I suppose one can also say that a new refrigerator is a good thing. Gotta see that glass half-full.)

I don't know, there must be something about being in Australia and going home to Manila that doesn't agree with our refrigerators. It's strange but true. We were in Australia in May 2009 for our initial entry to the country and upon our arrival back in Manila, we found our refrigerator in Makati had conked out on us while we were gone.

Did you know that one of the major contributing factors to our migration to Australia was that refrigerator?

We had decided that we WOULD migrate to Australia but we hadn't quite decided WHEN. Since our refrigerator had conked out, we moved out of Makati and moved in with Father and Mother at Cebu Avenue. Since we were staying at Cebu Avenue, we had second thoughts about enrolling the children back to school. (Both GI and RD were graduating that coming schoolyear. GI from High School, RD from Grade School.)

In the end, we decided not to enroll the children in school and migrate sooner, rather than later.

And the rest is history, thanks to our refrigerator.

So I suppose, as we head back for Manila for the first time since we moved, I am reminded that we have come a long way and perhaps with a new appliance, we are to start a new phase in our life's continuing journey.

~~~~

I took a picture of the refrigerator before we cleaned it out.

Here it is without all the accumulated paraphernalia,

right before we moved it out to make space for the new one.

Thank you for your years of service, Mr. Whirlpool.

We hope your Westinghouse replacement serves us well.

Devil's Food Cake

I wanted to make my own Devil's Food Cake from scratch, complete with icing.

Don't ask my why. I'm pretty sure none of us needed the extra calories.

I think it is because the photo in the cookbook just looked so appetizing.

Anyway, when I finally found some reasonably priced cocoa in the grocery last night, my resolve to make this sinful cake was strengthened. I noted down the other ingredients I would need for the cake and when we went to the grocery this afternoon, I picked up the odds and ends of ingredients I didn't have stocked at home.

When we got home from the grocery, MyGirl and I immediately started on our cake.

It was to be a two-layered cake with icing in between.

Since I had used two different types of round pans, it was only when I flipped the second cake on top of the first that I realised they were not exactly the same size.

It is a good thing that I had put the one with a larger diameter on the bottom.

(That was actually sheer luck.)

It was quite warm this afternoon and the butter was at room temperature (or a bit higher due to its proximity to the oven) when we made the icing. I didn't think of putting the bowl of icing in the ref while the cakes were cooling so it was kind of runny when we spread it over the cake.

The icing layer we had placed in between merged into the cakes making a moist filling. (So that's how it is done.) The filling looks so different from the icing on top that I would never have thought they were the same.

As I said, the icing was all runny. Right after I put the rest of the icing on the cake, it cascaded down the sides of the cakes and onto the aluminium foil-lined chopping board.

We had to dash off to anticipated mass and when we got back, we found a whole batch of the icing had dripped down the counter and onto the floor. (Oh well, that's a couple less calories for us to worry about.)

We placed the cake in the refrigerator and when the icing had firmed up a bit, MyGirl re-iced the cake.

We had the cake for dessert and I must say it was pretty good.

MyGirl and I are extremely proud of this cake.

Maybe next time we'll try to make Angel Food Cake. It will probably be as difficult to resist having seconds but it might be a tad less sinful.

Sky's the Limit

I was on the bus when I saw this streaking across the sky.

It reminded me of Slash-M and Sesame Street. When we were young, we were fascinated at the occasional streaks in the sky. We would imaging them to be skywriting like the Alphabet Bates. Of course they never made any letters but we would stare and be amazed nonetheless.

More Than Just a Flat Tire

It's a flat bike!

I have absolutely NO IDEA what this flat bike is all about.

All I know is that this flat bike leans against the side of an outdoor cafe in Sydney.

You think Gumby left it there?

Faulty Bike Lock?

I was on my way to mass at St. Patrick's when I saw this on the side of the church.

Do you think someone went off with the rest of the bike? Or did the biker really just secure his spare tire beside the church?

Birds of Paradise

I took these pictures last October. Too bad my cellphone camera doesn't do these pretty birds justice.

Angry Birds

This was also going around in FaceBook. I don't even want to get started with Angry Birds because everyone knows I can get addicted to computer games. I can still remember seeing the little green men going down the pages of whatever book I was reading after playing hours of Lode Runner.

Read Between the Lines

This was going around in FaceBook. Reminiscent of those MagicEye things I used to enjoy.

(Sorry in advance, Father. I know this will make you dizzy.)

More Skype Shots

No Arms, No Legs, No Worries

This book was on the 'recent returns' shelf of the library when I passed by about a month ago. I didn't pick the book up. It was one of those times when I wanted to read something light. I think I borrowed a bunch of cookbooks that day.

I suppose I was meant to "meet" Nick Vujicic because a few days later, I heard about him again. Next chance I got, I picked up the book from the library. Before I read the book, RD showed me one of the many youtube videos on this amazing young Australian.

Born without limbs on December 1982, Nick Vujicic is great inspiration.

In his chapter entitled, "Attitude is Altitude," he reminds people that by changing our attitude, we can change our lives (c/o psychologist and philosopher William James). There are many attitudes to choose from but Nick Vujicic recommends (1) an attitude of gratitude, (2) an attitude of action, (3) an attitude of empathy and (4) an attitude of forgiveness.

He has come to realise that as imperfect as he may be, he is the perfect Nick Vujicic. He is God's creation, designed according to God's plan.

In his travels to America (where he now resides, if I read the book right), he met Joni Eareckson Tada who was a 17-year old swimmer and equestrian from Maryland that broke her neck while diving into a lake in 1967. She was paralyzed from her neck down. (I read her autobiography when I was much younger. She learned how to paint with a brush between her teeth and later began to sell her artwork. Her story was likewise amazing.) Joni has become Nick's role model, his mentor, and his fellow traveller in this life.

He also met nineteen month old Daniel Martinez, who like him, was born with out arms and legs. Nick was like a window into what was in store for Daniel so Daniel's parents were very happy to meet him. But it was Nick's parents who were an even bigger blessing to the Martinez family because where else could they get insight on how to be a parent to a child without arms and legs.

Nick has been able to do so many things that most people with four limbs have not yet done. He has gone scuba diving, he surfs, he fishes, he has travelled the world, he has ridden an airport carousel (as well as gotten stuffed in the overhead cabin of an airplane) for the fun of it, he has made a movie, he was a drummer in the school band and an orchestra conductor. He graduated with a double major at Griffith University with a Bachelor of Commerce in Financial Planning and Accounting at the age of 21.

As an internationally successful inspirational speaker, he has spoken to thousands of people and affected many lives.

It is true that God works in mysterious ways.

Skype Shots

I took these shots this morning. I couldn't resist. It started off as just mother and daughter shots because Nicole was with Mindy and MyGirl was with me. But when young Luciano joined the call, I had to call RD for the photo shoot. (Check out the boys posing for the shot.)

Did I Need It?

OK. I admit it. I didn't really NEED it but I did KNEAD it.

MyGirl had been asking if we can have siopao and I had been wanting to make cinnamon rolls. So to make up for the fact that I wouldn't be able to celebrate a long weekend (since I had to go to work on Labour Day), I decided to do some baking on Sunday.

We had siopao for dinner.

And cinnamon rolls for afternoon tea.

French versus Dutch

Sister Deer taught me how to French Braid. I wrote about it in 2008 -- French Braid 101

The other day, MyGirl told me her classmate taught her how to do the Dutch Braid, which was similar to French Braiding except that instead of going 'left over middle, right over middle' one goes 'left UNDER middle, right UNDER middle', etc.

I asked MyGirl to show me what it looked like. On the spot, she immediately set out to braid her hair. (She's 10 years old and she can braid her hair like a pro!)

Dutch braids look nice but it requires some amount of concentration to get the braids done correctly since my fingers sort of default to doing French braids.

So what do you think?

Flowers Don't Lie

I took the first three pictures October last year. I was fascinated by the fact that when it was cold, the flowers along Old Northern Road would close. Then as the sun came out and the temperature rose, the flowers would open up.

Fascinating!

I hadn't manage to post the pictures on the blog so I planned another batch of "close-open" photos when I was walking along the road.

I took this photo a couple of days ago. See how the flowers are all 'hiding.' I knew that with spring moving into its second month, I was bound to catch these flowers in full bloom sooner or later.

Sure enough, when I took the two younger kids to Vinnie's (St. Vincent de Paul's) yesterday morning at about 11, the flowers were showing off.

So I asked the kids to pose with the flowers in bloom.

Later in the afternoon, GI and MyGirl joined me to the mall. Since I had already taken a photo of his other siblings, I asked GI to pose with the flowers. He was happy to do so (perhaps because we picked something up for him while we were at the mall) and by this time (3:30pm), according to the flowers, it was cold.

Cloudy Weather

I was with RD and MyGirl this morning. As we were crossing the street, we saw this cloud. RD said it looked like one of the clouds in cartoons.

If you check out the picture below, you will see that there are dark clouds looming. I was actually thinking more in the lines of 'Is it going to rain? I've got a load of laundry on the clothesline.'

More Wind! More Wind!

I put up another wind catcher. I just love it when the flowers turn with the wind.

Winter Ends

These were taken on 08 September on my way to the bus stop from church. The week before, this plant had no leaves and no flowers. When I walked passed this morning, I noticed that there were flowers. It's a sure sign of spring.

Today, 24 September, I noted that there were leaves on this plant now. However, it seems like the flowers are no longer as vibrant as they were a couple of weeks ago. I know I should be happy that there is some green on this plant now but somehow I liked it better when the flowers were the main attraction of the plant. That is just me.

(It sort of reminds me of Mother wanting us to cut our long hair. She used to say that all the nutrients we were eating were going to our hair. Is there any truth to that?)

Just Words

LAUGH ...

BREATHE ...

THINK ...

LIVE ...

PRAY ...

LISTEN ...

SING ...

DANCE ...

LOVE ...

(These were on a bookmark in a book I just borrowed from the library. It's just a random reminder, I guess.)

Cast Off!

I had library books I wanted to return today. One of them was the latest knitting book I had borrowed. I used that book to figure out how to shift from one ball of yarn to the next. I had reached the end of my second ball of yarn but I hadn't figured out how to cast off yet.

I had read and re-read the instructions but I couldn't figure out the instructions in the book on how to cast off. I decided that since I wanted to return the book, I may as well TRY to finish off the scarf and cast off.

I attempted to follow the instructions but it didn't look like it was going to work. I was afraid the whole thing would unravel.

"I don't know how to cast off!" I shouted in frustration.

It was MyGirl to the rescue.

"I think I know what to do, Mom," she said calmly.

I re-opened the book to the page with the instructions. She looked them over then she told me that the yarn went here, the needle went there, shift the yarn over and get the needle through.

"There, Mom," she smiled, "one stitch has already been cast off."

I repeated the process and before we knew it, I managed to get the knitting needles free and the scarf was completed.

Hurrah!!!

Of course now it is getting quite warm that the only place one would put a scarf is in storage.

I needed photos for this post and MyGirl wanted to see what the new clip I bought her looked like in her hair. So, I figured I could hit two birds with one stone -- have her model the scarf as I took pictures of her hair.

Here is MyGirl wearing the scarf.

And for MyGirl's viewing pleasure, this is what her hair looked like.,

The Three Marys

It is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows today. The gospel was very short.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 19:25-27.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

And although I have heard these passages many times over the years, when I heard it today the term"tatlong Maria" (three Marys) suddenly made sense.

Wrap Me Up

03 September -- the scarf is as tall as MyGirl

04 September -- I've managed to get more knitting done overnight

GI had taken the pictures of me and MyGirl.

05 September -- I ran out of yarn!

Below are pictures taken by MacGyver.

Here I am with RD.

This one is with GI taken on the day after his birthday.

GI didn't want to share the 'spotlight' with his brother. And I quote, "MyGirl had her picture taken alone with you. Why does RD have to be in the picture with me?"