The Philippines and the New 7 Wonders of Nature

The Philippine Daily Inquirer ran an article yesterday about several nature spots in the Philippines that were nominated as the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Entries from several countries were also included but we need to secure the top 7 spots in the race. (Masyado ata akong competitive ano?)

The four nominees are as follows:
1. Chocolate Hills in Bohol, 9th place
2. Mayon Volcano, 18th place
3. Tubbataha Reef, 8th place
4. Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park, 10th place

What I did was to log on http://www.new7wonders.com/ and I filled in my email address. I casted 7 votes and each spot can only be voted once. Well of course I voted for all 4. I also voted for China's Huangshan Mountain. I had the opportunity to climb this mountain in the year 2000. I was healthier and leaner at that time and I was able to climb one of the peaks at 2,000 feet above sea level. Needless to say, I was panting and gasping for air but the view was spectacular. How I survived the trek, I don't know. It must be pure determination. Going back to what I was saying, please do vote for our very own nature spots here in the Philippines. Voting is until December 31, 2008 only. After which the panel will list the 21 finalists, from which another round of online voting would determine the final seven.

This popularity contest can boost local tourism and it's one way of promoting destinations in our country. I really enjoy going around the Philippines and our home is a wonderful place to be in despite the politics, traffic and so many other things. Which country doesn't have problems right? Cast your votes now and this is what Filipinos do when our help is needed - we vote!

Baker Wannabe

Ma is a fantastic baker. Her home based business is selling pastries and she has been doing this for several years now. She enjoys it and I know that when our home smells of freshly baked cookies and loaves 24/7, I know it's December and the orders are pouring in. Baking never really interested me. I love sweets but to make them from scratch, I don't think I'm the right person to do it. Things have changed lately. Cooking daily has been part of my routine and yesterday, I tried my hand in baking. Nothing complicated. I baked my very own silvanas with Ma's help. The whole process took 4 hours from measuring to mixing to baking to cooling and assembling everything. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it. Initially, I wanted to try baking sans rival but Ma said it was complicated for a beginner like me. The day after I told her I wanted to try baking, she thought of silvanas as this is one of my favorites and it's easier to do. I took pictures of what I baked and it looks like silvanas and most importantly, it tastes like silvanas.

Often times, we fit ourselves into different molds that we see fit based on who we think we are. It's so easy to slide ourselves into different personas and it can be a trap. Others might see something in us that we don't see and what might be accidental in nature can turn out to be wonderful. Nowadays, I believe that certain interests and acceptance to things come in stages. In time, it really kicks in. Case in point are my silvanas. I see this exercise beyond what I mix, create, taste and enjoy but really, this experience talks about how I see myself now and the different possibilities of who I can be. After all, I can wear many hats and I can choose which hat I want to put on.

These are the meringues. Meringues are made out of egg whites and sugar. After baking, it had to be cooled for around 20 minutes before I can put on the butter icing. The crunchy and chewy part that you eat in silvanas is the meringue. What I did was to put on butter icing at the bottom of each meringue so it can hold two pieces together.

This is the butter icing. I had to whip it and when the texture is light and fluffy, it's ready to be taken out of the mixer. Otherwise, if it's overbeaten, the icing will not hold and it will easily melt away.

These are the cake crumbs. Ma and I had to bake the mixture. Afterwards, we put the cake inside the food processor to make it into crumbs. After the meringue was coated with icing, I coated it with cake crumbs.

Voila! One of the 62 silvanas balls I made. Silvanas are supposed to be flat but mine turned out to be round. We didn't follow the recipe to the letter. Anyway, no matter what size or shape, it's still silvanas. After assembling everything, I had to store these in the freezer. It's best eaten when it's frozen. Yummy!

More silvanas. I fit 62 balls in one tray.

Wanted: Classmates

This morning, I received a call from Wilton that the beginner's course of the cake decorating program I enrolled in is pushing through. Yipee!!! Well, thing is, courses 2 and 3 are in need of more students. If you are interested or you know anyone who is, please forward this blog. I'd appreciate if all the courses push through. It needs 10 students at least per course. Students can choose which course they want to take. I've been wanting to take up all 3 courses and I'd like to make it happen. I'm retyping the text from the flyer I kept for the Wilton Certificate Courses.

It all begins with the Wilton Method of Cake Decorating Courses 1, 2 and 3. Students learn great cake decorating skills in just a few days!

Course 1 - Fantastic Cakes
Learn how easy it is to decorate shaped cakes, make beautiful star and shell borders, floral accents, leaves and master the famed Wilton Rose. Introduces figure piping, making colorful 3-D clowns and pattern transfers.
Day 1 August 22 (Friday) 1 PM to 6 PM
Day 2 August 23 (Saturday) 10 AM to 3 PM
Course Fee Php 8,500

Course 2 - Flowers and Borders
Learn decorative touches - rosette, rope borders, rosebud and the color flow technique. Plus lifelike flowers - apple blossoms, daisies, daffodils, mums, pansies, violets, primroses. The course highlights a spectacular floral basketweave cake.
Day 1 August 24 (Sunday) 10 AM to 3 PM
Day 2 August 25 (Monday) 11 AM to 3 PM
Course Fee Php 8,500

Course 3 - Fondant and Tiered Cakes
Acquire advanced skills. Learn how to use the lily nail to make the grandest of icing flowers - easter lily, poinsettia, petunia and morning glory, impressive accents like embroidery, stringwork and ruffles plus techniques in rolled fondant and tiered cake assembly.
Day 1 August 23 (Saturday) 4 PM to 9 PM
Day 2 August 24 (Sunday) 4 PM to 9 PM
Day 3 August 25 (Monday) 4 PM to 7 PM
Course Fee Php 9,500

Course includes student kit with essential decorating tools and Wilton certificate. Classes will be held at Living Well Workshop. 3/F The Podium, 18 ADB Avenue Ortigas Center Mandaluyong. Ms. Booboo Maramba will be teaching the class and she's a Wilton certified instructor. For inquiries, contact the 24-hour Customer Service Hotline at 812-3022 or email them at workshop@livingwellonline.net or wilton@homeandoffice.ph.

Tomorrow, I'll be blogging about the silvanas I made today. My blog will include pictures and hopefully the recipe. Yes, I'm finally baking and I love it!

Full Circle

I'm ecstatic, excited and celebrating! I confirmed this evening that I got the job that I wanted. Yipee!!! When I met the President a few weeks ago, I knew I got the job but I waited for this moment just to make sure. (Sigurista talaga ako.) Yesterday, while I was working out on the elliptical, I got a call from an unknown number. Instinctively, I knew it was from the company I was applying for. The assistant informed me that I had a 6:30 PM interview with the lady boss. This should be the final interview. Of course I'm going! It was a homecoming of sorts. I used to report to this same lady boss many many years ago. I never knew that after all these years; I'll be working for her again but this time for another company. The group of companies have professionalized over the years. I've prayed hard for this job and finally, I got it.

An offer came from this company as early as April but I felt the position wasn't right for me so I turned it down. There were several discussions but nothing was concrete at that time until July when I was interviewed by the head of this division. Everything felt right. The office vibe was calm, professional and I felt it was organized. The challenge was there. I knew I'd be on my toes happily learning something new with this job. My interview with the boss lasted one and a half hours. It wasn't like an interview. It felt more like an exchange of ideas about how this service I'll be handling should be marketed. I knew I found the job. I just felt it. From day one of my job hunt, I was advised by my very good friend Shar to use my gut in finding that job for me and me alone and I did. I've turned down a few offers that didn't feel right and I was worried thinking that the job I have foregone might be it. I kept telling myself to focus and follow my gut. If something felt off, definitely something wasn't right. Maybe it was the job, the boss or even the timing.

I'm expecting another call from the HR Department anytime soon. Everything fell into place. The series of interviews from the Division Head to the President to the Chairwoman took more than a month but my patience paid off. I never knew that I had an opportunity with this company till an offer came for me to reinvent myself. My work will be very different from what I used to do. There's going to be a lot of learning and new people to meet. Pa was right. If I had a choice between swimming in a pond or ocean, the ocean would be a great place to learn new things. I'm thankful for everything I had and will have. Had it not been for my previous work experience, I would not have gotten my foot in to where I'll be heading to next. It's a different specialization and I know it is where I am meant to be.

Cheers to a new adventure!

Calling Out

Been thinking of what to write about today. The idea haven't come to me till I was on my way home from the gym this evening. I thought of putting down my thoughts in writing considering that my mind is still awake from the intense 1 hour cycling class. Prior to that, I was on the elliptical machine for a good 20 minutes. It felt good to be active doing cardio workouts today.

Lately, I've been experiencing several incidents other people might call as coincidences. I'd rather call them my way of calling out. Some call it the law of attraction. There were 3 people I haven't been in touch with for quite some time and on separate occasions, I thought of how they were and what they might have been busy with.

One of them was the publisher of a regional travel magazine. I met her sometime August of last year in London and I had the privilege of having dinner with her parents as well. It was last week that I was browsing through the Philippine Daily Inquirer and I came across an article about her. Hmm, strange. What a coincidence. Maybe it was pure luck. Anyway, so I continued to read and learned that she was several months pregnant at 42. Oh that's great! It's her first baby. You have to see her in person to adore her. She's got class and has a jet setting lifestyle. I love her sense of fashion and being in the know of the latest ongoings and yet, she is down to earth. This incident was just the first in the series of 3.

The second calling out was a long time friend who I haven't met for a couple of years. He is the son of a Filipino Olympian swimmer (many decades ago) and I used to train in their swimming school when I was in 5th grade and several years after when I was in college. I lost his number and I was thinking how he was doing. I was watching TV last night and saw his wife on TV. She was featured in a show dedicated for moms and she showed pictures and videos of her 2 sons and his husband, who happens to be my friend. It was a pleasant surprise. This series of calling out is getting to be creepy.

The last incident happened today. I haven't been in touch with my college professor for the past 10 years. I somehow lost him number and the other day, I thought of how he was and I wondered (I've been wondering a lot lately if you haven't noticed) if he was still teaching in La Salle. He was a good professor in religion and he used to be a seminarian who ended up getting married. He must be the same age as Pa and I like the way he connects with his students. He's known to be the religion teacher who writes his house number on the board on the first day of class. If you need someone to talk with, call him. It's like Dial-A-Friend but in this case, it's Dial-Your-Professor. He leads by example and when I was his student, we made sure that we did several corporal works of mercy like visiting those in prisons / hospitals and feeding the hungry. Well, I was in cycling class this evening when I received a SMS from Ma that my college professor just called me up asking how I was. Wow! I think I'm getting better at calling out without me knowing it. Finally, I was able to get my his number and I plan to call him tomorrow. We have a lot of catching up to do.

I don't exactly know how I call out people, things or even situations into my life. Lately, it has been pretty much like this for me. I guess it helps that I always look forward to the good things in life. I'm always optimistic and when a negative thought plays in my head, I rationalize it and nip it in the bud. I'm still figuring out how these incidents exactly happen but I'll leave it at that for now.

What a Lasallian was Doing on Atenean Grounds

Early this week, I was in Ateneo for an interview. I'm a Lasallian and the Taft based university was my home for 4 years when I took a double degree more than a decade ago. I wasn't in Ateneo for MBA but I joined a program called Retreat for Daily Life (RDL). It's a 14-week program that allows me to encounter God in everyday life. RDL is managed by the Center for Ignatian Spirituality. There are some text here that I'm quoting from the brochure I took from the reception area.

For persons who cannot take time off to devote thirty days to do a retreat, RDL is the best option as retreatants do not leave their homes and places of work. They keep their regular schedules but commit themselves to a daily prayer period and meet regularly with their retreat guide.

I met the Executive Director, Fr. Celerino Reyes, S.J. and he saw that I was fit for the program. Yesterday, I received a confirmation that I got accepted. Yehey! I'd like to invite all of you to join this spiritual journey. I feel that at this point in my life, I am ready to take on more meaningful activities.

Who many apply to the Retreat in Daily Life?
Applicants who are:
1. able to make a firm commitment to the retreat
2. able to allocate time for formal prayer of 30 minutes to 1 hour each day
3. willing to pray the suggested prayer materials of the retreat
4. willing to reflect on and journal their prayer experiences and to share the fruits of their prayer with their retreat guide
5. willing to be guided by a competent lay retreat guide

Applying is very simple. I filled up a reservation form and sent this to the center via email. I was called on for an interview so the director could assess if I was fit for the program. Program cost is only Php 4,000. Program cost covers retreat materials, stipends for retreat guides, as well as expenses for the prayer workshop and recollections.

They have other programs depending on which stage of your spiritual journey you are in. For more information, please contact the Center for Ignatian Spirituality at 426-4250 / 51 or visit their website at www.cisphil.org.

My spiritual journey has been very fulfilling and indeed it is true - it gives me a calm I cannot explain. I've always felt a void in my life and when I took the plunge out of the corporate world, wonderful things have been happening since I took my first step to know God more. Happy weekend everyone!

Di Kong Lan Nang Weh! - A Mano Po Sequel

Almost always, I'd hear Pa ranting wanting me to speak the Chinese language. Be it during breakfast, dinner, inside the car, in my room, in his room. In short, Pa's ears are bionic. My Fookien is bad. It's not as good as my Mandarin. Pa speaks good Fookien but not Mandarin. This is where the trouble begins.

The text in italics are the translation for the Chinese text.

me: Pa, alam mo nung isang araw ...
Pa: Meh! Di kong lan nang weh! (Meh, speak Chinese!)

It's such an effort on my part to speak Fookien. I end up resorting to keeping my mouth shut than uttering a single Chinese word. Well of course Pa wanted to hear what I wanted to say so the saga continued.

Pa: Meh, di le kong sia mi? (Meh, what are you saying?)

I look at Pa and instead of saying a word, I chose to move my head from side to side silently communicating that I had nothing to say. That was the easiest way out. Smart kid. (I'm a gana kid, gana grow.) The other day, I wanted to apply for a non-professional driver's license. What I have is a student's permit and since a month has lapsed, I can already apply for one. Pa has connections in the LTO and I didn't want to take the written test and do a test drive.

me: Pa, gusto kong mag apply ng professional driver's license.
Pa: Ano?! Professional driver's license? Kung ako nga di ako makakuha nun, ikaw pa!
me: Ay ay mali. Non-pro pala.
Pa: Naku Meh, masyadong complicated yan. Kailangan mo pa magdala ng car.
me: Pa, may connection ka naman. Sige na suhulan na lang natin. (I hope I'm not breeding corruption in the Philippines.)
Pa: Meh, I'll think about it ok? I'll let you know.
me: Eh Pa, ang dali dali lang mag apply.
Pa: Meh, di kong lan nang weh! (Meh, speak Chinese!)
me: Pa, sabi ko gusto ko mag apply ng driver's license.
Pa: Meh! Di kong lan nang weh! (Meh, speak Chinese!)
me: Pa, gua be (I want to) apply driver's license. Bwahahahaha. (That's what smart kids do. They speak half of the sentence in Chinese and the rest in English. No sweat.)
Pa: Meh, di si siao tsa bo. (Meh, isa kang sira ulong babae.)

Pa left the house and was shaking his head. I think reality hit him that he had a daughter who could hardly speak Chinese and is also driving him crazy.