Maybe temporarily; maybe for good. *shrugs
Plot twist: I actually have new blogs (yes with an ‘s’) but BUT! I sort of kind of made a deal with myself that they will only go live if I maintain them the way I want to maintain blogs, aha!
Sooo, I have 4-5 months to pull this writing act together. I’ll update here with my progress. Probably. Watch this space.
Picture not related hahaha. And no, this is not for April Fools’ I swear.
“The only thing I’ve ever successfully made in the kitchen is a mess.
And several small fires.”Carrie Bradshaw
I’m no expert. 4 years in this homemaking gig and I just recently asked JAPO if cabbage needs to be cooked or can I serve it as is like lettuce. (No? Why not?) But there are times when I get in the mood to try and do as good wives do, and mostly pretend I know what I’m doing in the kitchen.
This is one of those times. And things like these need to be documented somehow because they’re just so rare and far in between ha ha.
HUGE DISCLAIMER: I’m sure there are a lot of quicker, and proper, ways to do this. So Google maybe? But if you’re up for a challenge (I’ve been told I like to make things more complex), then this one’s for you! 
You’ll need:
First, chop the garlic into teeny bitty cubes. Is mince the right term? Anyway. Do the same to the onions, they don’t have to be teeny bitty, small cubes will be okay. Now, I cubed the potatoes, too, but you should chop/slice one into eight* – more on this later. Then sauté the whole lot until the garlic’s slightly golden and onions are translucent-ish.
Add the chicken nibbles and the frankfurters (I used four, sliced diagonally), stirring and mixing and turning until they’re nicely browned. Then I added the red capsicum, also diagonally sliced so they’re matchy-matchy.
*At this point JAPO checked how I was doing and thought I’ve put the pineapple in already because of said cubed potatoes tsk. So again, potatoes: one into eight.
When the meat’s ready, add the pineapple chunks and juice. Wait for it to boil and then let it simmer. Add fish sauce to taste (more on this later haha!). And just let simmer until the chicken’s cooked through, shouldn’t take very long, 15-20 minutes I’m guessing. And then add the evaporated milk (I used half of a 375ml can) and stir a few times, no need to mix it thoroughly. Turn off the heat, let stand for a bit and voilà! dinner’s ready! 
And since I have my very own Gordon Ramsay (pwede bang Derek na lang? hahahahahahaermmmokay), the only comment other than that about the potatoes is that I should have added the fish sauce when I was doing the sautéing because, apparently, chronological order matters in cooking. Aha! The more you know. Also, carrots. But it was edible and nommy regardless. JAPO had several servings so Yay!
A week into 2013 already, wow. 51 weeks to go. Mama and Papa used to tell me that the days will go faster the older I get and yep, they’re right of course. It’s a bit perplexing that it’s been almost TEN YEARS since I first met JAPO. A decade ago since my IC’s/eLBi nights? That’s just wrong haha.
With that, I want to make a list of things I love now – just so I don’t forget. It will be fun, I think, to read this again in the coming years and see what’s changed and what has stayed the same. So here goes my first installment for TILT.
Planners, journals, notebooks, calendars, et al.
Writing things down on paper makes me feel more organised. Feels much better to strike days off the wall calendar than just watch them dim on the desktop, too. It was a bit of an addiction; I had planners from Cosmopolitan, Belle de Jour, Starbucks, CBTL, etc. JAPO got me pretty leather-covered journals here in NZ, but I can’t help but think that I would probably have those Witty Saved The World ones if I’m still in the Philippines. I used to keep different notebooks for different things. This year, I’m down to a simple planner that I’m using as a big to-do list. Oh, adulthood, the things you make me do.
Uglydolls
We’ve been collecting lion plushies even before BLU came in the picture. It took an infant’s handful of faux mane fur for us to realise that our beloved toy felines aren’t very baby-friendly. But since BLU likes grabbing and wrestling his pillows, plus chewing kissing his Lullaby Gloworm, I think he needs more friends who will not make us worry about hairballs and choking and stuff. 
Like these dolls! The classics are available here but this ‘Love Peace’ one we’ll have to order from the States. Someone’s not too keen but hey, can’t go wrong with “celebrating who you are inside and out is the new beautiful“, right?
Something Wonderful by Judith McNaught
Back in highschool, my classmates and I had a book-reading phase. We snuck pocketbooks (which, I realised too late, weren’t age-appropriate) in our textbooks and read them while class went on. There were Harry Potter books, too, so it balances out I guess? This was one of my favourites, and still is an enjoyable read for moi.
Random trivia time! I pegged Jordan as a baby name since I first read this novel. It’s just a bonus that Papa and JAPO likes the name, too, because of His Airness. Also, let me know if you see one on sale with this cover. I kinda need it.
Late night talks with JAPO
Growing up, I spent a lot of nights lying awake in bed listening to the sound of our house. Mama and Papa always have a little chat in the living room about their day, work, and a bit of gossip haha before they go to sleep. I remember thinking that I wanted that, too, when the time comes. And for 4 years now, I’ve been enjoying the same thing. 
Takes a bit more effort from both of us with our current situation (read: BLU), but we try to make time to hear each other talk, rave, or rant about stuff. I don’t know, I just sleep a lot better after arguing about discussing the future of the Lakers with JAPO is all.
BLU’s new tricks and antics
He’s mastered flipping himself from his back to his tummy, and vice versa, so he’s started rolling now. Funny when he rolls towards us because he doesn’t know how to crawl just yet ha ha. Also, he’s been doing this fake cough whenever he feels like we’re not paying him much attention, tsk. We let him win most of the time because he gives us a lot of sleepy smiles after, and plenty of opportunities to take videos like this one, too.
That was fun! Next week’s list might have things I love(d) 10 years ago on it haha. There’s an idea. Just thinking about it makes me feel tipsy.
Every new year, I find a sudden jolt of energy to do things. In the past, there were a lot of projects I wanted to do and these fresh starts always had me believing I can do and finish them. There were 365s and blogs that all ended up half-baked, and each and every time I find an excuse – be it moving houses, community service, house chores, the weather, getting pregnant, having a baby, etc.
This year, I want and will strive to change that. No resolutions, just a theme and an overall intention.
That right there is my theme for 2013. As Erica Jong put it, “We are so scared of being judged that we look for every excuse to procrastinate.“ I didn’t want to admit this to myself at first but I have somehow started to care about what others think, and it’s messed up because I do too much thinking and not much doing. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to not caring but I want to at least be brave enough to put myself out there again. I want the joy that can be found in the act of creation to matter more.
If there was one thing that motherhood has taught me so far, it’s that I need to DO to BE. I’m not a fit mother just because I love my my son unconditionally. More important is that I do whatever it takes to make sure he’s healthy and happy. #2 on this list hits it right on the head, too. It’s not enough that I know and feel like I can string words together and capture moments. There needs to be output. I am the fruit.
With that, here be my Declaration of Intention:
This year, I will plan better and follow through. I will let go of excuses, and embrace challenges. I will honor my relationships, and love my body – extra weight, stretch marks, and all. I will stand up & share my light with the world!
Hoping for the best is all fine and dandy, but here’s to working my bum off to make sure that this will be a productive year! *raises imaginary sparkly drink
***Thanks to Bunny and Dolly, Cracked, and Mr. Gaiman for inspiring this post. Cheers!
Blu is 4 months now. So amazing how this time thing works. I can barely remember being pregnant. At the time it felt like it was taking forever; looking back, it seems like a blur… like ‘Order of the Phoenix’ in a way.
Everything’s moving forward, always changing, constantly adjusting. It’s like one big and very subtle transition. One day I’m getting more than 5 hours straight in bed, the next thing I know I’ll be in zombie-mode for a week. I have never been so pushed thisclose to the brink of exhaustion but at the same time, I have never been so determined to stay up and find a way around it.
I mean, how can I not? I think babies have been especially programmed to do the most adorable things around this age to make up for the new, more difficult round of sleepless nights and unexplainable crying. Blu has started exploring, he prefers being carried facing forward or looking over my shoulder. He likes looking out of the windows and looking around when we get the mail. He has met his reflection on the mirror and nagpa-cute s’ya the whole time ha ha. He rolls to his side during floor time and gets stuck because he has yet to figure out how to get his arm out of the way. He holds his bottle up, ish. He amuses himself, most of the time, upon waking up with his voice (he likes talking, I wonder whom he got that from *shrugs). He grabs his pillows and piles them around his head when he gets sleepy. He makes nomming sounds when he chews on Sophie.
And the laughing. Ugh, it just melts you. The person who came up with ‘laughter is the best medicine’? I’m pretty sure he meant a baby’s.
Last month also brought more adventures for Blu. First time to join me and Japo at a restaurant buffet. First “red cup” which came in a white house mug tsk (just for a photo, of course, Japo and I drank the coffee). First time in a garage when we had to have the car checked and repaired. First letters from Santa, one from New Zealand and the other one from the North Pole. First trip to the local library. First Christmas party. First Christmas! First New Year’s Eve, although he slept through.
Also, his first summer. Bub rejected clothes for days when the temperature started going up to 17. He slept with just a nappy on until Mama, Papa, and the Ash’tes sent our Christmas parcel with summer clothes for “Tutoy.” The heat, I think, was also to blame for the prolonged fussing after his second round of shots. So now the question hangs: how will he deal when we take him home to the Philippines?
I guess we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get there. I mean, there are still so many other bridges to cross before that one anyway. We’ll figure it out. We’ll be alright.
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