Big Boy Bawang

I used my Qantas points to book flights for my latest trip to Manila.  I was thrilled to have a 30kg limit for my check-in baggage since I usually only have 20kg when travelling on budget flights.  Seems the carry-on baggage weight limit is usually 7kg for economy and goes up only if you are flying First Class.  Needless to say, I was working with 7kg after I packed everything else in my luggage. 

Before leaving for the airport on my return flight, I did a cursory baggage weight check using the small scale I bring when I travel. I had to reshuffle things between my luggage and hand-carry bags to keep within the allowable limits.

I had left the house early to be at the airport 3 hours ahead of the 8:35PM flight.  When I got to the airport, the total weight of my check-in luggage was approximately 30kg.  I was just happy that I did not get charged for the reported excess of 0.2 kg. They did not ask to weigh my handcarry so I did not offer. They handed me my ticket, I went on my merry way.

I headed towards the boarding gate soon after I got through security screening and emigration.  I was so early that the people boarding the flight to Dubai were still waiting at our assigned boarding gate. In my mind, once these people board their plane, it would be our turn.  

I still had a lot of time to kill.  There were restaurants and kiosks near the boarding gate. I expected dinner would be served during the flight so I was not looking to get dinner. Although if there was a Jollibee at the departure area, I would have reconsidered.  Sadly, there was no Jollibee in sight. 

I decided to check out the stores.  I wanted to find extra stuff to bring home. There were a lot of interesting things available but I refused to buy anything that was super overpriced which is quite common at the airport. The pulvoron was overpriced.  The dried mangoes were overpriced. Then I spotted a big bag of Boy Bawang Cornick. I hadn't checked the price of Boy Bawang at the Philippine groceries but figured it would be cheaper than getting this big boy in Australia. That was a good option however I knew that I was already at my 7kg hand-carry limit.

I sent out a query to the family group chat:

Mom : Are things you buy at Duty Free subject to total cabin baggage weight limit?

Son#2 : After you get to duty free they don't weigh again, right?

Mom: Any requests?

I expected my next step would be to board the plane and since the feedback I got was encouraging,  I decided to go for the Boy Bawang.  I tucked my latest purchase in my duffle bag and returned to my seat at the boarding gate.

I did not mention this acquisition in the family group chat.  I wanted it to be a surprise.  It would be a big surprise. I was quite excited.

However, my excitement was short-lived.  Soon after I sat down, the airport team started moving seats around.  They lined up several chairs beside me to essentially close off the whole section of our  assigned boarding gate.  They rearranged the remaining rows of chairs into sections then they started herding people out of the boarding area.  When the area was emptied, they put up numbers beside the chairs to indicate the boarding group assignments to match what was found in the boarding pass.   

I was sure that when I left the house, my total carry-on baggage was just slightly under the 7kg limit.  I looked at my newly purchased Boy Bawang.  

500g, it said.  That is HALF A KILO!  

As I moved out of the boarding area to line up with the other passengers, I started to worry.  I kept thinking, 500g!! 

The line was getting longer because they hadn't started to let people in.  I wondered what they were waiting for. The answer came a few minutes later.  I relayed the news to our group chat : Don't look now but they set up a weighing scale at the boarding gate!!

I looked through my bags and started taking out clothes I could wear and things I could stuff in my pockets. I was still thinking, 500 grams!  

The line started to move. I wondered what would happen if they weighed my stuff and it was over by 500 grams. 

My thought bubbles were saying, thank goodness I did not tell the family about the Boy Bawang.  They would have been disappointed if I told them about it and I ended up coming home without it.

I knew that I could find Boy Bawang back in Australia if I REALLY wanted some but I didn't want to have to buy a replacement, especially since I literally had one in the bag.

Anyway, I had tried my best to reduce my baggage weight.  The song in my head was now, "Que sera sera.  Whatever will be, will be."

My turn eventually came and my bags were opened but not weighed.  

Whew! Our Boy Bawang was safe. 

At that point I was not sure if it was sheer luck or the silent prayers that allowed me to go through that extra security check.  What I do know is that this time around, I did not have the usual smuggler as my carry-on, and all the bags that went through the weighing scale were rectangular suitcase-like luggage with wheels.  If I had brought the smuggler, the chances of that getting weighed would have been quite high. 

For this particular trip, I had brought the green duffle bag which belonged to MacGyver's dad.  It was a much lighter bag which I had never used for an international trip in the past.  It is entirely possible that even from the great beyond, Daddy is watching over us, allowing the extra pasalubong to travel across the seas.

Stop and Go

I was on my way home from church. 

As I approached the stop light, I saw this bird sitting on a stop light.  

The light was green and the bird was just perched on the stop light.

When the light turned red, the bird flew away.

I guess the bird was going in the opposite direction.

Fly away, beautiful bird.

Hands

H A N D S

These are the hands that held us as babies

These hands braided our hair

These are the hands that buttoned our shirts  

These hands bathed us with care.

 

Her arms hugged us tightly

And her hands held us close 

When we were worried or scared

She'd be on her toes.

 

These hands planted flowers

These hands sowed some seeds 

These hands wrote books and manuals 

And filled diaries with her deeds.

 

 These hands are quite tired now

Her body needs rest

Each movement takes effort

Everything is a test.

 

Prayerful hands

Caring hands

Loving hands

My mother's hands.

I love you, Mom!

Coffee Sugar Cookies

When people go out for coffee, the fancy cafes sometimes place a small cookie on the saucer for the coffee drinker.  I am not an avid coffee drinker, but I am a self-confessed cookie monster.  

This is my latest go-to sugar cookie recipe.  I typically roll, cut, shape and freeze. That way, when I feel like baking cookies, I can pull something out of the freezer.

COFFEE SUGAR COOKIES

3 c flour

2 t baking powder

1 c cubed salted butter

(or 1 c unsalted butter + ¼ t salt)

1 c sugar

1 egg

1 T vanilla extract

2 T espresso powder

 

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Combine flour and baking powder in medium bowl.

In a mixer, cream together butter and sugar.

Add egg and vanilla until combined.

Add in flour mixture slowly.

Add espresso powder and mix until dough forms a ball.

Roll out to 3/8” onto floured surface.

Cut and shape.

Bake 7 – 10 minutes. (Do not overbake.)

Banana Recipe Please

You have to believe me, I only bought a few bananas.   The bananas were on sale, so of course I had to get some.  How was I to know that they were going to go from green to yellow to brown in such a short time?  OK, I admit it, I knew that would happen if we ate the apples ahead of the bananas.  I tried to delay the inevitable by moving the bananas to the fridge when they had turned yellow but I now realise that it only worsened the situation.  You know, out of sight, out of mind. Yes, those bananas got left in the fridge a little longer than they should have been.  After several days in the fridge, the bananas had gone from overripe to very overripe.  

The bananas had to go but I wanted to try a new recipe.  I knew my sister Mindy has a  tried and tested banana bread recipe so I sent out an SOS.  She promptly sent me a picture of John Harper's Banana Nut Bread recipe.  Looking at the picture of the cookbook page she sent, and all the smudges that came with it, one could tell that the cookbook was opened on that page a lot. I took that as a sign to give the recipe a go.

Mindy said that she lessens the sugar, uses coconut oil instead of shortening, and added that her kids don't like walnuts.  The original recipe called for  3/4 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening.  I followed Mindy's reduced sugar path and used butter, instead of either coconut oil or shortening. I used a bundt pan, instead of a loaf pan.  It turned out well.   

BANANA NUT BREAD

1/2 c softened butter

1/2 c sugar

1 large egg

4 teaspoon lemon juice

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed (2-3) ripe bananas

1 c walnuts, coarsely chopped 

1. Preheat oven to 350F 

2. Cream butter and sugar.

3. Beat in egg and lemon juice.

4. In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

5. Fold the mixture into the batter and blend well.

6. Stir in mashed bananas and walnuts.

7. Pour mixture into greased and floured bundt pan (or 9x4x3-inch loaf pan) and bake 60 to 70 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the centre of the pan comes out clean.  

8. Turn out on a rack to cool.

(I've indicated 1 cup of walnuts in the recipe because I used the original 1/2 cup from the original recipe and felt that the banana cake could definitely use more walnuts.) 

See You Later, Alligator

Saying good-bye is not always fun.

Right before Christmas last year, I got a post card from Sunshine.  It was an unexpected surprise. 

It made my day.  

A few days after that, I was in a call with Mother and Z.   As we were saying good bye, Z said, "See you later, alligator!"  

I replied with the most logical reply I could think of, "In a while, crocodile!"

The repartee was brief but it made me smile.  I wanted to have other witty replies for future good byes  so I went to google and found this in youtube.

I gathered up a few more lines and with MyGirl's help (and Apple's emojis), we came up with this collection in time for Christmas.  I had them printed out in Kmart as pictures and fridge magnets.

We have one of the prototypes in our fridge ready for the next call.  

Toodle-doo, Kangaroo!

Real Men Don't Read Instructions...But They Know The Instructions Exist

MyGirl came up to me earlier and said that something in the Snoopy blogpost struck her.  She looked back at the post and told me which part got her thinking.  The blogpost read:

It was only after I had completed the puzzle and disassembled it, that I discovered instructions inside the box that would have enabled me to finish the puzzle in less than than five minutes.  

(Personally, I enjoyed the challenge and would not use the cheat sheet if I had to do the puzzle over again.)

She said, "Mom, of course there would be instructions."

"But it is a puzzle!"  I argued and pulled out the box to show her CRYSTAL PUZZLE in big bold letters. 

"Mom," she calmly continued, "why would you think there wouldn't be instructions?"

I was still thinking jigsaw puzzles.  They don't come with instructions.  They come with a picture of the completed puzzle in the cover of the box.  And that is what the crystal puzzle had -- a picture of Snoopy and Woodstock standing on a green platform.  In my mind, here is what the completed puzzle is meant to look like.  Go forth and solve the puzzle.

In a matter-of-factly, yet loving tone, she drove the nail home by saying, "Would they sell Lego without instructions?"

I started to laugh. (Lightbulb moment!)  

Of course she was right!  It would be like selling IKEA furniture without assembly instructions.  

It made perfect sense now.  Clearly, instructions would come with this puzzle.

Can I just use the "Instructions were in Japanese" card?