Life As I Know It

There are three persons inside me. These are them: 

(Awesome illustrations by my awesome daughter, JAS)

 

1 - Casilda, a.k.a., Dang, Mommy Dang, Ate Dang, 'Nang Dang, Sis Dang, Danggit, etc. She is wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend. She talks a lot, laughs a lot, cries a lot. She always wants to do the nicest things... she tries, although sometimes in vain.

 

She can cook... that might be what everyone thinks... but if she gets in a pickle, ready made food can taste just as good. She is patient, always trying and trying, until... yey, success!... well, not all the time, and she can get really frustrated and angry when things don't go as she would want them to... but, oh well, nobody's perfect!

She is the one to call when you need a little advice on how to sew, embroider, cook, craft, or whatever else... she might not have all the answers but a little chit-chat with her can be fun. She's not rich but she'd be happy to share with those in need.  She is what everyone expects her to be.





2 - Super "C". She is what everyone expects her to be...  and MORE.





She can definitely sing and dance at the same time.... that is, in her own private time and place. She is a multi-tasking, confidently calm, do-it-all, she-can-do-it, she'll-find-a-way, go-get-her, she-knows-what-to-do, she's-here-and-there-all-at-once, never-tired type of a gal.

Though, sometimes she needs help with something she needs from the upper shelf of the cupboard. This is because, it's really no big secret, she has yet to learn how to fly. She asks people to wait and be patient because, it's really no big deal, first things first, then on to the next.





She can remove any type of stain from any type of clothing... or can she really?  She can do laundry while she's cooking the perfect dinner and do a little embroidery on the side... how hard can that be?!  Whew! that is quite a task in one normal day.



3 - Casilly-dilly. She is a little girl who loves to have fun. Being silly and disorganized is her specialty.





She can be very forgetful that she cannot even remember being angry with anyone. She is afraid of being alone in the dark and much more, of scary movies.





She gets a little cut here, a little bruise there from being so sloppy with doing things... but there's nothing that a band-aid and a little XOXO can't fix.





Beautiful things in display windows at the mall make her eyes twinkle... ahhh, dreaming makes them hers.





She doesn't like making her bed or cleaning the house... but that's what mommy Dang wants. Sad movies make her cry... even sad songs make her cry. She can't help being sluggish sometimes, she just wants to curl up on the couch and watch TV. She does not care about everything that's happening around her, she's just so happy and thankful that she is being loved.





Super "C" and Casilly-dilly do not get along well, while Casilda just sits back and watch this conflict. But in the end, they have got to somehow be in agreement with each other, otherwise, you know where to find me.



This is my crazy existence, I call LIFE. What is yours like?







My Golden Boy!

Half a century!  Bong celebrated his 50th birthday a year ago today.   We were in the Philippines for Thaad's graduation and this is how he spent his birthday...

 Waiting for his guests, the less-fortunate kids of Nonoc.

 

 Please fall in line....

Packed Spaghetti lunch for each kid.

 A little sometin'-somethin' for each one.

 

 Bong's little buddies, helping with the drinks.

 KB Kaye, in-charge of the guest list.

     

 Psssttt.... focus on the guests, not on the camera.

 ... more guests,  will there be enough?

 No child left behind... everyone gets a present from Tito Bong.

 Even the little helpers had fun!

 Not even the rain could stop the party.

 JK and Jojo, errand boys.

 Hungry helpers did not mind left-overs.

That was a milestone marked with a lot fun... and love.  Today, he celebrates another birthday.  I thank God everyday for the gift of his life.  Happy Birthday to the man who makes my life special... Happy Birthday, my darling, Bong!

 

I Bid You Adieu

Last year, Thaad, Bong and I spent Christmas with Mommy Tit in Zamboanga City.  We missed Jas and Gem who stayed home in Michigan with Lolo Buddy and Lola Fe.  But that proved to be a most precious Christmas since it would have been Mommy Tit's last and we had that chance to celebrate it with her.

She spent her last years in the house that she raised her family in... where every little corner reminded her of her children's resounding laughter... where all the walls witnessed her joys and pains... where it was home. 

 

Very strong willed and opinionated, she was often misunderstood and misjudged.  Yet, for those who truly know her, she was encompassed in kindness and compassion.  She might have had a different way of showing affection but she loved so much, her woes were made insignificant.

To my children, Jas, Gem and Thaad... Lola Tit's gift to you is your daddy.  He is what he is is now because he was raised by a great woman that is Lola.  Her kindness shines in daddy everyday.  Her strength is manifest in how daddy deals with all of life's stresses.  Her inner beauty glows in daddy's good works.    

 

To Mommy Tit... I shed a tear for you today because you have left.  But your life here on earth was never in vain.  I thank you for Bong.  I thank you for the love you gave me.  I thank you for the lessons you have taught me.   I thank you for the family I am blessed with thru you.  You will be missed, but for now, I bid you Adieu.  It was a pleasure knowing and loving you... until we meet again.    

 

A Piece of the Apple

Some  56 years ago, way way before 'Roe v. Wade', a woman's choice was always life.  So when graduate student, Joanne,  learned of her unwanted pregnancy, she had no choice but to proceed with it.  She gave birth to a little boy and gave him up for adoption.  The new parents, Clara & Paul, named him Steve.  The rest is history.  We all know Apple co-founder and CEO, Steve Jobs.  News of his passing a couple of weeks ago saddened many.  People remember him as the great entreneur who revolutionized personal computing.  Some, who worked with him, have stories to tell, nice and not so nice.  But I remember him everytime I open my iPad, thank you Stevie!
    

If abortion was legal 56 years ago, and Joanne would have opted to kill that baby she was carrying, would we think differently now?

Luggage?.... or Box?

I already had my extra hour of sleep on Sunday, when the DST ended and we had to set our clocks an hour back. Three days later, mornings are still lazy... but hey... sleepyhead me has gotta get going!

Opening the blinds of the kitchen window to let the autumn light in, my eyes found the large dial thermometer outside... 40 deg. F... not bad, this means no frost to scrape off my car windows today, but that fog tells me that I may not be able to get to work on time if I dilly-dally. Sigh... very soon it will be winter... Brrr....

On my way to work, I can't help but think of our trip back home to the Philippines come December. Ooh la la... goodbye cold... hello sun, even for just a few weeks. Bong and I are so looking forward to seeing Thaad after a year of him being away from home while he works for his diploma in Film Making at the IAFT. I will miss Jas and Gem... this would be the first Christmas that we will not be spending together... maybe next year, we can all be together.

Packing for the trip is another story... two luggage each, or is it one luggage and one box each? Ha ha, everyone in the Detroit airport can spot a Filipino traveler from the boxes they bring with them. What about this set of orange luggage that have been popping in and out of my head since I saw them? They are the perfect orange that I love. Thanks to my friend blogger Chic In The Tropics for introducing me to the site, now I can't stop thinking about it. To buy... or not to buy... that, remains the question.

Meanwhile, gotta plan which things to pack... including pasalubongs, of course!

FB Trasher

Who does not have a Facebook account in this day and age? FB is fun & entertaining... reconnecting with old friends and family, re-establishing ties however remotely... back and forth comments as if in a conversation, albeit dawdled responses... a venue to share photographs with friends and family... oh, what fun!... until...

Trashing a culture in FB is not at all fun. I chanced upon this posting on Kwing's page. Kwing, my sister, is a nurse working in London. For her and all the other Filipino nurses working abroad, this blog is for them.

One of the greatest icons of modern medicine, Sir William Osler, said, "The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity, taking a place beside the physician and the priest.... ". Beside... on a par with, not in a higher place than... the doctor. Surely, a nurse can offer her/his solution for consideration, with utmost respect for the doctors and not referring to them as morons, as this FBer, who calls herself Dana Groulx, does. Filipino nurses, whom she targets, are naturally caring and respectful. I am sorry that she despises these attributes, but these make them what they are... would've made Florence Nightingale very proud.

Filipinos have an accent when they speak English, as do other peoples who do not have English as their first language... duh! They speak with frequent pauses, always to refresh the thought and prevent the tounge to outrace the brain, hence be not a fool. Pronunciation?... not perfect!... but who has anyway? If a nurse has difficulty pronouncing the name of a medication, it does not mean that she/he cannot pass this medication to the patient properly. The only things that the Filipino nurse can dispense without prescription are comfort, compassion and caring. I am proud of my Kabayan nurses!

To Dana Groulx... the mouth does not have a backspace key. The words you choose to say are just as important as your decision to speak. You have upset a whole culture... demeaned a noble profession by your irresponsible remarks... bite your tongue because one day you might need a Filipino nurse to be your caregiver and friend.

Stainless... Harmless.... Spotless....

My name is Dang Sabolboro and I sell pots (kaldero, for us Pinoys)... It is a career I have chosen for fun. I team up with my friend, Chit, and we cook for a living... and if we sell some, then it becomes really fun! I should write my nameplate: Engr. Dang Sabolboro, Kalderologist.

I have been a Saladmaster owner and user for over a couple of years now. Due to Chit's insistence, I became a consultant myself. Because I am a chemical engineer by training, it became my mission to explain the composition and construction of our pots and pans at every cooking show.

Stainless steel is a steel alloy with at least 13% Chromium (Cr) content. Cr is the element that is responsible for the steel being rust or corrosion resistant. Sometimes, Nickel (Ni) is added to make it more shiny for the rest of its life. But while Ni makes the luster last, it also destroys the steel's magnetic property. With this base knowledge, you can decide which flatware to buy. Flatware, if not rated, is 13-18/0. This means that Cr is 13% to 18% and none of Ni. If you see 18/10 on the box, then it is 18% Cr/10% Ni. If you test both with a piece of magnet, you will find out that the magnet loves the 18/0 but not the 18/10. Your choice... easy to find with a magnet or bling-bling shine forever?

Stainless steel type 316 is susceptible to sensitization - the formation of grain boundary of chromium carbides at temperatures between 900º F and 1500º F - which can result in rapid corrosion. With the addition of Titanium (Ti) in type 316Ti to stabilize the structure against chromium carbide precipitation, resistance to sensitization is achieved. Simply stated, the addition of Ti makes it more resistant to general corrosion and pitting/crevice corrosion.

This is why I love my Saladmaster cookware....
Inside, where it touches the food, is made with 316Ti... I am sure that there is no leaching of the metal into the food, making it taste what it should taste like.
Outside wall is made with a stainless steel grade with some Ni... thus, every time you wash, it will always look like new.
Bottom is made with a stainless steel grade with no Ni content... thus, making the cookware induction ready. Induction is cooking different from our usual, i.e., applying heat. An induction cook top is a strong electromagnetic field that when a magnetic material comes in contact with it, heat is generated. The advantage of induction over heat is less power usage, therefore, cheaper... and earth friendly.

You think the cookware is interesting? Wait till you see the cooking! Book a show now and see the difference!