Online Mass

Churches have been closed in Sydney since the 21st of March.  So we have no choice but to go for online masses.  

At the onset, I would catch the masses from Toronto via Daily TV Mass on YouTube.  This worked out pretty well as I would catch the pre-recorded mass after I logged off from work.   The masses would be uploaded in YouTube at about 1PM Sydney time so it did not really matter if I logged off early or late, the mass would still be accessible in YouTube.

For our Sunday masses, we started off with a similar pre-recorded Sunday mass.  That was well and good since the readings seem to match the Lenten season.  However on the second Sunday of attending online mass, we realised that when they said pre-recorded, they really meant PRE-recorded because the people were shaking hands when offering a sign of peace.  By this time, we were at the height of social distancing so it was clear that the mass we were watching must have been a recording from at least three years ago to fall under the same Liturgical Year A as 2020.  

The next Sunday was Palm Sunday and I wanted us to catch a mass that had a more up to date homily.   We were fortunate enough to catch the online mass of our diocese with Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen officiating.  We were also lucky enough to obtain a piece of palm from a nearby palm tree.  (The parish usually has pieces of palm at the entrance of the church on Palm Sunday for the parishioners to pick up.)

On Easter Sunday, we "went" to Sydney and caught Archbishop Anthony Fisher's (online) mass at St. Mary's Cathedral.  Despite the social distancing rules, they still had a beautiful choir (standing 1.5 m apart from each other).  

For Divine Mercy Sunday, on the week after Easter, we tried to catch the mass at the Vatican and managed to attend the one officiated by Cardinal Tagle.  It was 4PM Sydney time which was 8AM in Rome.  

By this time, I found out that they were live streaming the morning masses at our parish in Facebook.  (Oh, the wonders of technology!)   So even if it meant that I had to get up earlier to catch the 7AM mass, it was worth it because it felt closer to normal seeing our parish priest and attending a live mass.

We look forward to the day that churches will re-open and masses will resume.  In the meantime, this prayer is the one we learn anew and keep close to our hearts.

Stay Home

We have been on lock down since March.  The Australian border was closed on 20 March and social distancing rules were imposed.  Non-essential services were shut down.

At work, we had planned for split operations -- team A and team B --  alternating working from home and reporting to the office.  As a member of team A, I was scheduled to return to work on 30 March but by then we were all instructed to stay at home.

Many stores were closed.  RD and MyGirl were both studying/working from home. MacGyver still had to report to work and we could still hear the school bells of the nearby high school ringing. GI stayed with us during the first week of lockdown but after a week of sleeping on the sofa bed and doing work on his laptop, he opted to go back to his place.  

When the kids are in class or in a call, they hang up the equivalent of a DO NOT DISTURB sign on their doorknobs so we know not to open their doors or walk in on them.

 Many stores have closed.  Churches are closed.  There is hardly anybody in the malls but thank goodness the groceries are still open.

Not used to being cooped up at home and in an attempt to get some sort of exercise, I take walks around the block.  Even the signs along the road  that usually have traffic information are reminding people to stay home and stay safe.

Homemade Croissants!

I don't remember when I had my first taste of croissants but I do recall that I liked it a lot.  It would have been one of those trips I took abroad when I was still young. I loved the buttery flakey texture of croissants. It was not like any bread I had ever tasted before.  It was something that was not readily available in Manila at that time.

As the years passed, croissants made their way to the Philippines.  I don't recall when it happened.  Perhaps it was Johnlu Koa's French Baker that introduced croissants to the usual pan de sal eating locals.   Admittedly, if there was a choice between regular bread and croissants, I would almost always take the croissant.   

I often wondered if I could make croissants at home.  I knew that Sister Deer had made some puff pasty from scratch so I figured I had hope.  I would occasionally check out videos on how to make croissants.  It did not seem impossible but it also did not seem easy.  Then in February, I chanced upon the book entitled Tartine.  I decided that once I bought bread flour, I would take on this challenge. 

I started on the weekend and managed to work through the steps until I had my dough all mixed.  I packed it away in a ziplock bag and placed it inside a plastic container then parked it in the fridge.  

Thae next day,  I got this picture from MacGyver while I was at the office.  Thank goodness he was at home to discover the dough's attempt to escape.  He was able to transfer it into a bowl before it got away.

I worked on it that evening, making the butter block and preparing the dough.  I froze one half and worked on the other.   I went through with my plan to bake some croissants also

I proceeded to form the croissants ...

  

then I baked them. 

Some of the croissants were not rolled up properly but they all tasted DELICIOUS!

The first batch of croissants were baked on 02 March.   Soon after that, the grocery shelves emptied out and I only had a finite amount of yeast and flour.  I could not do any unnecessary baking and the second batch of croissant dough will stay in the freezer in case we are unable to get any bread from the outside world.

In the midst of this pandemic, having something special in the freezer gives me something to look forward to.