Gone for 2 Years and Came Back Talking About Poor Quality... Silly Me.

Coming back from what feels like an eons-long writing hiatus, I gaze around my cute little home right now, feeling the settling calm and peace. The only sounds come from the shaking knob of the pressure cooker that our Ate Jona is attending to. Yes, hubby and kids are not yet home. I have a few minutes of luxury. And peace.

So I turn to my laptop (as usual!) and my blog (after 2 years!).

I was actually about to commence with Experiment #3, Day #2 of my current baking goal: perfecting our old family recipe, the pineapple carrot cake, and, in the process of doing so, unearthed my 18-year old high school Technology and Home Economics compilation.  I call it an "experiment" because i recently acquired an electric oven and I have been having a really hard time with it.

"Me and My Oven: It is a LOVE - HATE relationship. Yep." - Jaja Oquiñena

So I was searching for literatures on the causes of poor quality cakes. Now, I JUST HAVE TO INSERT: All credits to this compilation go to dear Ms. Demphna I. Saarenas, one of the best T.H.E. teachers (wonderfully calm and collected not even a burning batch of macaroons fazed her) of

My 18-year old Technology and Home Economics 

compilation (compiled by Ms. Saarenas).

all time (well, MY time, that is). I felt that I needed to record this wonderful piece of compilation online before the moths and bookworms completely eat it to nothingness (also, so that I always have something to go back to when I need to. Selfish, right?). SO here is my first online record on this wonderful compilation:




Causes of Poor Quality Conventional and Quick-Mix Cake
Source: Technology and Home Economics #4 Compilation (by Ms. Demphna I. Saarenas)
* all baked products were done by me with the help of little angels...

OUTSIDE Appearance
Peaked or Cracked: Oven too hot, too much flour
Pale color: Too little sugar, under baked; wrong-size pan
Too brown: Overbaked, too hot oven, too much sugar
Poor volume: Too much shortening or liquid, wrong size pan, too hot oven
Sunken: Too much sugar or shortening, too little liquid, under baked

These cupcakes came out sunken after its baking time was up.

INSIDE Appearance
Uneven grain: Too little liquid, undermixed, oven too cool, too much shortening
Crumbly: Too much shortening or sugar, undermined.
Tunnels: Too many eggs, too little sugar, poorly mixed

This Banana Bread came out just right 

in both inside appearance and flavour.

TEXTURE
Dry: Overbaked, too little sugar
Soggy: Underbaked or undermined, too much shortening
Solid: Too much flour, shortening or liquid
Tough: Overmixed, overbaked, too little shortening

Same batch of cupcakes from above... The texture 

was a little crumbly and little dry.

FLAVOR
Wrong flavour: Poor quality ingredients, wrong proportion of ingredients

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (using rolled oats) didn't look 

quite so mouth-watering but the flavor was PERFECT! 

But alas! The kids are now here and demanding my attention again! So I end this post with adorable pictures I took of them helping me with my baking this year... Here's to hoping I get to post at least one more article before the year (2013) ends!

Micah poses with the ready-to-bake batch 

of red velvet cupcakes. 

Pia and nephews Manu and Ali helping 

in a "big kids"-kind-of way.

My 2 new recruits for my future packing business!

End.

The 10 best foods for your heart - Food on Shine

Here's a great link that you should check out:

The 10 best foods for your heart - Food on Shine

I like blogging about these health stuffs because it gets recorded in my blog so it's easier to find when i feel like eating/being healthy!

I Dreaded Turning 33.

Coming home from my non-special non-date with hubby, Mari (we actually just made a quick trip to the mall to buy our little girls their long overdue undies and peejays; and i refuse to call it a special date as their was no movie-watching involved!), i took time to open my Facebook account to catch up on the latest updates, especially since I had not opened my account since the morning of my birthday (yesterday).

Honestly, I dreaded turning 33. Turning 32 was ok because it was still so near 30 - just barely two years away. But 33 is another matter entirely. To me, it sounds like it was too near 35; and 35 happens to be right smack in the middle of 30 and 40. I felt old.

But after reading the messages and greetings of friends and family, age didn't seem to matter anymore. I looked at the names of people who were or are a part of my life: there were friends from way back, relatives now living so far away, co-servants who i see everyday, etc. All of them took the time to write on my FB wall. Something as simple as "Happy Birthday" can go a long way in making a person feel special. Before, i always try to think of something special to write. Since inspiration can sometimes be elusive, i often end up with a big fat blank. I've learned my lesson.

SO, expect a lot of greeting from me in FB (hopefully) or via mobile SMS. But only at the times premature senility does not strike. Hehe.

My birthday was a day of rest surrounded by my loving family and the thoughtfulness of dear relatives and close friends and sincere acquaintances. I could not have asked for anything more. So, to everyone, thank you for making my day even better. I hope you have equally wonderful birthday celebrations this year!

Toodles!

The friends who woke me up on my birthday.

I did not even get to wash my face

before this photo was taken. Uh-hmm.

Pia was good-natured. She did not make a fuss at all

even when woken up by the loud singing/greeting.

A screenshot of my FB Page.

A Late "Happy New Year!"

You wouldn't believe but i was actually excited to go back to work last January 3! Yep, I'm enjoying my work so much these days! And no, I am not being sarcastic.

I guess it's got to do with my workmates and my service head. They are all alright, not difficult to work with at all. And above that, the GK OGSM (Objectives, Goals, Strategies, Measures) is much clearer this year. We actually have real targets this time, not the usual heaven-bound targets of last year and the years before.

The holidays was spent with family: christmas with my husband's family and new year with just us (me, mari, pia, micah and the 3 ates). Below you'll find pictures of our Tagaytay trip last Dec. 25. We were invited by my sister-in-law's aunt for lunch at the picturesque Tagaytay. The view was breathtaking and the weather was c-o-l-d!

The kids were gallivanting around the place and the parents (us) spent most of the time tensed since the house was built on a steep hill. One false move and you'd have kids rolling down the hillside! God forbid!

Me, enjoying the latest on Philippine Showbiz Gossip.

The dogs' barks drove Pia wild.

She spent most of the time covering her ears,

with her precious Barbie clutched in her hands.

Bahala na mabingi, huwag lang maiwan si Barbie.

Micah enjoyed the dogs so much that she wanted to

go near them and touch them!

Behind me, the great Taal lake and volcano in full view.

Time for a family pic! Christmas 2010!

A Slice of Life

In memory of a friend...

Have you a friend that you momentarily shared a bond with and then you both parted ways - each living his/her own life - but in your hearts you know that when you see each other you would jump for joy or delight? I have a friend like that. And this morning I found out that she died..

Joecel was my brother's high school classmate and that meant that there was a ten-year difference in our age. She was a really intelligent, determined lady with a very bubbly personality. The word "boring" was alien to her. But despite that ten-year difference, she remains a strong presence in my memory. She treated me like an equal and yet i felt that if something ever happened to me, she would be ready to help out like an older sister would.

My friendship with her was not the usual kind where you both memorized each other's life story. In fact, i know very little of her. But the moments that i spent with her were powerful enough to leave an imprint. Here are some of my experiences with her:

1. ) I once had a benign mixed tumor removed just below my left ear when i was in my 3rd year of college. When i started to notice the growth, she helped recommend a skilled head and neck surgeon. It was a tricky procedure since the tumor was planted right smack in the middle of my facial nerve and one tremble of my surgeon's hands, half my face gets paralyzed. During the operation, she scrubbed in and was present in the operating room. It was a nice feeling, knowing you have a friend in the background during a very invasive procedure.

2. ) I was preparing for my board exam (in Medical Technology) and i suddenly had bouts of hyper-acidity. I was getting quite worried about it but, like the good doctor that she was, she reassured me and explained what was happening. I was getting tense and stressed about my upcoming board exam. She prescribed antacid to be taken 15 mins after a meal. From then on, whenever i experience hyper-acidity, I would recall her words and do the exact same thing she recommended and each time it worked.

3. ) She constantly encouraged me to go after my dream, what i wanted. After passing my board exam, i was tentatively considering working in the U.S. but wanted to leave right away. She suggested that i apply as a student intern for a hospital in New Jersey on a student VISA. She had the applications and she gave them to me.

4.) I applied as a volunteer Med Tech for a government hospital in Cebu and you all know how hard it is to be accepted to a government hospital, even as a volunteer. You had to know people who could pull some strings. Joecel very kindly offered to be one of my references as she was working in the hospital that time. I guess that was enough since she was a superb doctor and her credentials were strong. I was accepted.

5.) After joining my GK family, we chanced to meet in Manila and I had dinner (in Banana Leaf) with her and her friend. My husband was with me but he was still a boyfriend back then. We had a great time. And she was so happy about my joining GK. Although initially she was encouraging me to go after my old dream of becoming a doctor, when that dream changed, she was still there, cheering me on.

She was such a determined individual who was not selfish at all. When she succeeded, she also wanted the people around her to succeed. I cannot fathom how a person like that had her life snatched away while other people who do not even bother to contribute to anything get to live to an old age.

Joecel was pregnant with her second baby, Nate, and was scheduled for a ceasarian section this Dec 22, 2010. This morning, she had a cardiac arrest and was immediately brought to the hospital but the doctors were unable to revive her. Her doctor friends came at once, including her OB. But all were in vain. Too late.

Not even her baby, Nate, was saved.

She was very close to our family. She was constantly ready to help us.

Before my brother met his wife, everyone in the family was ready to have her as an in-law. That was a personal joke that we all remember fondly. That's why we were so happy when she had her own family. We wanted good things to happen to her as she had wished the same thing for us. That's how close she was to us.

This morning, after that shattering phone call from my brother, I took out the rum cake that was a Christmas gift from another friend. The cake was a favorite and we would slowly eat it, relishing it. I gazed at the cake, only half of it left. Lifting my knife, I brought it down to take a slice and paused. Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to cut up the cake without thoroughly giving a thought to how it would be best divided so that everyone can have a share of its wonderful taste. I tried several times. At last, I took a deep breath, thought carefully and then started cutting.

We will never be sure when our number is up and for that reason alone, it is important to approach life like there's no other chance to do certain things. No procrastinating. It is also important to put a balance to everything. In my case, be a wonderful mom, a supportive wife, a mission-ready servant, a loving sister and daughter, a friend to whoever needs one. I agree with a fellow blogger's musings, "it is so important to try and find joy every day - in the simple tasks of life, in the world that surrounds us, in our family, and in our friendships. For me that is perhaps the truest definition of 'living life to the full' ". Joecel and the rum cake reminds me, a normally slow-paced individual, to live life to the fullest and to be there for everyone. An impossible feat? Hmm. But then again I do have the everlasting memory of Joecel with me.

Joecel, you will be sorely missed...

Joecel with husband, Dave, and son, Justin.