Forks

Driving home one time, hubby and I played the game of WHAT IFs involving our lives.

What if I didn't marry him and what if I was stuck with THAT JERK?  (long story...) and I don't want to talk about that part of my life ever again!!! If you pay me a million bucks, maybe I would. But I'll haggle for higher, throw in a collection of some expensive books I've been wanting to buy...Maybe I'll tell...I'm happy with the package I picked.

What if we didn't go out, who would we have hooked each other up with? We're crazy I know! But I did have someone in mind for him. And he didn't want any of his friends to have me! Is that good...or bad!?!

What if I finished my masteral thesis? or studied to be a nurse? I really want to be in the helping profession...I could have been earning more. I could have been a shrink by now, or a life coach, or a therapist, even a school counselor. But I could  have been spending less time with hubby too...and the other creative things I love doing. That's unimaginable. But I guess it takes only a little of getting used to. But still. I'm a wife with an 8-5 job and it works fine. I'm fine.

What if he didn't become a tech at BMW? -- a greasemonkey so he says, but affords me occasional days of splurging in my favorite shops! This one's a shocking revelation! He would have been a chef! He wanted to study culinary arts and is still thinking that we may one day enroll in classes as husband and wife at a good culinary school in the city.

What if I didn't leave my parents behind in the Philippines? The answer is simple, I would have been there to be with them during doctor's visits. I would have been there when they needed me. But how about this life with hubby...last night we took a 2-mile walk at the San Francisco Bay Trail, watched the sunset by the ocean, with patches of marshlands, reserves and santuaries behind us, a stone's throw away from our new home as we talked about our life and our own future. *sigh*

What if we didn't lose our baby in November 2006? What if he lived? We could have been happy and doting parents by now. I wouldn't have been a little distant around kids right now.  I would have still been so fond, the-once-preschool-teacher-rolling-on-the-ground-making-stupid-faces-and-noises kind of fond of little kids at family parties. Now I'm a little reserved and choose to mingle only with adults and teens. The scar is still there, it still throbs sometimes. I'm still working on it. Maybe next year. I'll be ready to face this baby issue and work on having one! *LOL* I'm scared, yet I don't want to break hubby's heart. Maybe next year...

We are a product of our choices, or random events that uproots us from where we are and throws us into one of the many paths when the road of our life forks. But yes, we are still a product of our choices, even how we react to these random events, or how we feel. What is certain is that benefits are born with consequences, and that advantages and trade-offs may come together. We just need to learn how to balance them, and live the life story we choose to write for ourselves with as little regret as possible.

We want to make sure to always seek God's Guidance and try our best to make the right choices, every corner, every fork; Most of all, be grateful to God for the benefits that come with our decisions and lovingly embrace the consequences along the way.

Wifeyteria Chronicles: On the (W)edge of Entertaining

My apologies for not having shared any profound nor helpful thoughts lately! My head is still sunken deep into this house-decorating madness hole. I feel like my spirit has gone into deep slumber.  Of late, it is still floating blissfully in a state of quiescence while my gregarious side is preoccupied channeling HGTV's David Bromstad and/or The Barefoot Contessa.

Lo and behold, my hubby is turning into an interior decorator himself, although his inputs radiate a little college-dormy feel...hmmm...okay, A for "A"ffort.  I can't wait to go ahead and tackle our patio project (the patio set, the firepit, some tiki torches and wrought-iron tea light holders on the fences, some reggae, a lot of dancing and the 3 M's of my dark side: Margarita, Mojitos, Mimosa (no other M's alright!)...I'm gushing again. We haven't even gotten fully organized indoors yet.  I just ordered some tiles with distressed prints of old Tuscan Wine labels. Hopefully their look and quality are as good as they seem on my computer screen.  Sometimes though, just like people, photos or first impressions can be deceiving.  Well, there's only one way to find out. I'll keep you posted on this one. I really fell in love with these!



 

We've been having so many guests lately (family and friends in batches) and my kitchen and hubby's new grill have been smokin' with great flavors lately.  One thing that I learned from an aunt regarding entertaining is, to have a repertoire of easy but delightful and seemingly fancy dishes that you do best and just keep serving it over and over again to different AND UNRELATED groups of people. 

Because of our flurry of activities lately, I needed some real easy foolproof components that I can buy in bulk and that's kind to the pocket too.  Here's one as suggested by my cousin and courtesy of Paula Deen's Home Cooking:

THE WEDGE SALAD

1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into quarters
Blue cheese dressing
1 tomato, minced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup cooked bacon, crumbled


On each salad plate, place 1 wedge of lettuce turned on its side. Pour blue cheese dressing on wedge. Sprinkle with tomatoes, green onions, crumbled blue cheese, and crumbled bacon.

 

Such a breeze!! It's having it's fourth reprise co-starring with hubby's smoked tri-tip this weekend.  I'll just change the repertoire as soon as the dust settles and my head clears. Good thing we never get sick of it!

 

All is Well

It's Friday! It's been a week since we moved and we're still living off moving boxes. Our main priority was to get the high guest traffic spots organized like the living room and dining areas ...I know! I'm, slacking. But since we did the majority of the work on our own, I'm so beat. I miss it back home (Philippines) when you get a horde of people (including paid hands) to lift stuff at your beck and call. Hubby and I scrimped on the movers so we only had two hands each to move stuff for us. The left and the right.  Some family and relatives came in trickles, so that was a lot of relief for us. So lesson #1- don't be deceived by a small studio a.k.a. "The Box". It's like Mary Poppin's magical bottomless carpet bag. I'm ready to crash this weekend.

I barely spoke to my folks this week. And I feel really bad since I know that one of the highlights of their day (amidst social obligations, oh, my mom's church and charity stuff, my dad's uhm...what has he been up to lately?-- and I want to kick myself for not knowing) is to hear from me or my two sisters.  I'm looking forward to having them come and visit me this time. The idea of living with me or anyone of us siblings still hasn't sold to them, perhaps it never will, knowing how they want to keep the way of life that they're used to rather firm, constant and unalterable.  I guess it just makes sense. Who wants to uproot two great people in the late sixties and early seventies from where they are if the situation works for them? But they are our parents and one day, they will be too old and weak to nurture and take care of us whenever we come running.  One day, they will be too old and weak to take care of themselves! The time will come when we should be overseeing their own needs as children. That's usually one of any parents' major qualms about their future. We would want to be there for them when that day comes and hopefully equal what they have given if not exceed it. (I want to be able to afford it too!) I'm trying to get all geared up and ready when that role-reversal (which is always bound to occur at one point in the cycle of human development vis-a-vis family dynamics) happens -- rather protracted in my family, we're still THE Kids on the third decade of our lives!

Mom's over with her minor surgery (for a localized recurrence), and dad's Brachytherapy is done with.  They are going to arrange for his external radiation soon. It breaks my heart to know that they are on their own, shuttling from one oncologist to another. (Oh by the way, did you notice the pink and blue ribbons on my header? Let's fight these bad guys in a prayer battle!) Both of the prognosis seem promising so I'm praying and holding on to that.  So I guess all is well for now. The current task is to try to keep this phase in status quo. Or pray that it does.

They are scheduled to fly to Australia for a wedding in November (good for them because they haven't visited it and I heard Australia's  really gorgeous too).  Then hopefully, they will be going on a pilgrimage somewhere in Europe in April next year, and then California to visit me and my other sister. There's a lot of international flights involved in the next couple of years for them. I hope that ditches and loses the bad things along the way...like those stupid malignant neoplasms that have no business proliferating in good people's bodies.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PS.

In Dad's words:

"Look, anak (child), at the wheel of life.  You got lucky with a good deal for your new house, but then I got sick.  It's just an up and down ride as the wheel turns.  Sadyang ganun (that's really how it is).  It gets balanced out for us.  It's really not perfect. We can't expect things to be perfect all the time, sometimes there are trade-offs.  But it doesn't mean that life can't be beautiful.  Once we realize this, we won't get too depressed when we hit the lows, we only look forward to the next trip up."



 

 

Wifeyteria Chronicles: Citrofortunella microcarpa in my yard!

Calamondin (kăl'ə-mŏn'dĭn). Panama orange? Acid orange? Others call it suter. I call it "pizzazz" for my authentic filipino- stye beefsteak a.k.a. "Bistek" and pancit noodles. Woohoo! It's none other than the little sour calamansi fruits-- which unfortunately isn't that popular here in the U.S. Using lemon in lieu of these  green little round guys on the mouthwatering delicacies of Filipino exotic (exotic!) cuisine is a sacrilege, at least that's how I see it. A spritz of regular lemon on good old pancit palabok just doesn’t cut it!

And how about my dad's home-made mayonnaise recipe thats been handed down from my forebears? (3 egg yolks, 1 bottle of oil, calamansi, salt and lots of stirring --labor of love). Not good with lemon either! Or on my patis (fish sauce, yeah...yeah, fish sauce, I know...but I just love it). Not good with lemon either!

And so, as a housewarming present for myself, way before we picked any outdoor furniture for our backyard, I got me a Calamondin plant from Home Depot.  It was the last one in the store that day, the cart was with hubby on the other side and I was so excited that I scooped the heavy pot bearing the 2-ft plant and marched down the aisles almost hugging it in VERY greedy demeanor.  The pot now sits at a random spot on our yard for the mean time. They said I can keep it on the pot and use it as a home decor too, especially with those fruits and flowers! The tag says it can also be trained as a hedge shrub which is perfect for one corner of my yard beside some of my wrought-iron art pieces, a beautiful garden swing one day (you'd think it's me who wants the swing...nope, it's hubby!) and a patio set next to the fire pit (imaginary one for now)...I'm gushing. I'm not re-planting it yet though, because I still have to learn THAT skill or else it might end up joining the "souls" of the unfortunate foliage that passed on under the care (uncare) of my my non-green thumb hands, in all the places I've lived thus far.    

Anyway, I can't wait until next summer when I can sit out there, read a book and drink a tall glass of iced cold lemonade...er, uhrm, calamansi-ade. Or am I pushing it too much? It's really good. Trust me!

 

A Moment of Silence

I offer this moment of silence and empty space in memory of the innocent victims of the 9-11 tragedy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eternal rest grant unto them, oh Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace. Amen.

Where the heck am I?

The old blogsites have been moved from the old host in view of "improvement" efforts, that's what Friendster says.  Oh well. I feel like Dorothy who have just landed in Oz. Or the other way around???

I'm not happy because I have to spend some time to make my site beautiful again, at least in my eyes. *SIGH* Please come back to my THOUGHTS AT 3AM  site once in a while okay? There's an abandoned little girl in there, wide-eyed and shivering. *SIGH AGAIN*

Some good things never last.

But let's start chasing the rainbows now.  À la prochaine, mon amie!

wuv,

90210 Fever

The new series started and I made sure we saw the premier episode (nothing much to say about it yet, it's too early to tell).  But hey, I'm still hooked on the reruns.  They ended but looped right to the very beginning! Yuh!!!

I should stop watching those reruns.  They are getting into my system, or shall I say, I am slowly creeping into the show! In my dreams.

A couple of months ago, I had a dream that I was talking to Kelly. Like she was confiding to me or something.

 

Then two nights ago, I had a very weird dream that I was hanging out with Dylan (and something else). I must say, a really strange and very WEIRD dream. 'Nuff said.



 

This is the portion where you laugh.