I Got Talent

I love my Chatter. When I am in the process of making a decision, (good or bad) she would throw at me every possible bumps, curves and all the negatives (in Excel and Powerpoint presentation ) why I should not do it. Then when after all that, I still insist on going through with my plan, she would give me her blessing and back me a hundred percent. My Chatter is just cool that way.

So the other day, when I joked about me living under the bridge for being jobless, she said, "Mom, there's still costs of living, regardless where you live." I assured her that besides typing, I have other skills and talents to make a living. Like this one below or move in with Steve.

If Not Now, When?

I hate change. And I hate it with a passion, but as they say, the only constant in our life is change. So last week, I have turned in my resignation, telling my boss that I am not moving with them. It was a very difficult conversation with my boss because I did not stay in that job all these years for the money, (because I'm not lying when I said 12 year olds make bigger allowance than me) but because of the relationship I have with my immediate boss.

All these years my boss has given me the freedom to go as I please (or how else would I have been able to vagabond) and come back when I want, but the time has come for me to move on and sever our professional relationship. The time is now; I need to grow up. My stomach has been in a knot, I get clammy hands and feet and wake up startled in the middle of my sleep from the anticipation of my leaving the comfortable set up I have been accustomed to, but at the same time, I am surprised and proud of myself for making what you would consider an unwise decision in this struggling economy. Yet, afraid and anxious as I am, I'm also confident that I will be okey, because I had a long conversation with God before I made this decision.

When I say, I had a long conversation with God, I do not mean that I even knew how to articulate my anxiety, my state of uncertainty and inner turmoil to Him. All I knew was that I did not want to move but at the same time afraid to quit. The only thing I was certain of, was whatever road I will take, Jesus will be with me. The decision is made - my last day with my present job is until the end of this month. So the next time you pass by I-45 and downtown Dallas, make sure to wave at me and I won't be hard to spot because I probably would be the only Asian resident there, under the bridge. Did I say I wanted to be a real vagabond?

Canine Compassion

God placed in each of us a heart of compassion, yes, even in dogs, but sometimes we humans chose to ignore it. How else would a dog know to have compassion if his Creator didn't embed it in him?


Video Courtesy: MrCristea

I Wish....

1. I wish I have something better to do on a Saturday morning than just wish.

2. I wish Obama would stop the ghetto speak -"I'm busy with a mop cleaning after the last President" because even though it's sooo like Barry, it's soo past the campaign months to be talking like that, it's soo unpresidential and it's soo getting on my nerves. And George is soo past caring.

3. I wish people behind me at the grocery check out counter would read the People magazine (or any magazine, I don't care) instead of making me feel rushed.

4. I wish clerks at the grocery check out counter would be more conversational and friendly so people behind me would be distracted and stop being in a hurry.

5. I wish people everywhere would just simply stop being in a hurry. Why hurry, so we can hurry and wait some more at the psychiatrists' office? Or wait stiff at the morgue?

6. I wish I have other wishes more meaningful than wishing for people to slow down.

7. I wish the Republican and Democrats in Congress would disappear into thin air (or wherever, I don't care) and come back as Republicans and Democrats with morals. And conscience. Or better yet, don't come back at all.

8. I wish some UFO (or any vehicle, I don't care) would land in Montana and pick up all the people who claims to have a political affiliation but don't have a clue what's going on. Or better yet, pick up all those people whose only conviction for voting Barack in is that black goes well with a white house.

9. I wish I know why I said Montana, when I could very well pick Texas. Maybe because I don't want to be mistakenly picked up by a UFO because I don't want to ride the UFO. And I don't know if they even serve peanuts on the UFO.

Longanisa

I love pork fat the same way Joan Rivers loves plastic surgery. Yup, I'm addicted - to grease. I should eat healthy but my philosophy is: I want to die sick because it's retarded to die healthy. Last night, I got inspired to make longanisa after I found my meat grinder attachment in the same box with the moon cake molds the other night.
Sausage casings I got from the Philippines, this is less work than the wet casings I buy from here.

I got tired of stuffing so I made the rest into skinless.Recipe: Ingredients
2 lbs - pork meat (I bought shoulder cut and ground them coarsely)
1/2 cup - pork fat diced-this is what makes all the difference to me but I only had this much from a left over pork belly.
6 cloves garlic crushed
3 Tbsp - brown sugar
1/3 cup - vinegar ( I used the Filipino brand )
1.5 tsp - Kosher salt
2 tsp - Paprika
1 tsp - black pepper
1 tsp - pepper flakes (use less or more) but I only had 2 packs of Pizza Huts I found in my drawer.

Mix all ingredients and let stand about 2 hours. Fill casing with mixture and let ripen in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Prick holes in the casings, not much but just enough to let it breath.

Embellish, Blow Up or Lie

It's 4 minutes to midnight and I am still pacing around my kitchen thinking about my resume'. I am waiting for my friend to come out of his coma so we can re-invent my resume' to where I can recognize me in it.

You see, the last time I made one myself was 23 years ago and I headlined it, "Bio-Data." When I showed it to Don, he was not laughing but his eyes got big, like he was stunned and amused at the same time. "Ritchie, you can't put your height, weight and religion in there." " Why not? that's how we do it in the Philippines." Don, a good teacher that he was, explained, "You're not in the Philippines anymore."

So two weeks ago, when I decided that I should look for another job, I called my friend who lives in another State and enlisted him to do my resume'. I emailed him the timeline and description of my previous jobs and asked him to put it together into a resume format because he should know what to look for in a resume - after all, he was once "the man who can hire and fire." But when he sent it back to me, the only thing I recognized was my name and address. "Who is this?" I asked him. He said it was me. "Are you sure that's me?" He said, "Ritchie, stop underselling yourself." Underselling is one thing, but lying? "Embellishing, is a better word." My friend corrected me.

I know, I know. I'm not in the Philippines anymore. But I begged him to redo it and he promised he would but, "I would only change a word or two." I can't shake him off from his coma and I hate it when I am under someone's mercy, but I'm too young for Medicare and too old to care, so I wait. Wait for my friend to redo my resume or find a husband so I don't have to find a job.

De-stressing

I am still feeling unhinged because of the changes in my work situation, but instead of getting busy and work on inventing my resume, I am avoiding it like it's, aahhh....bill collector. Working in the kitchen always helps me de-stress, so when my friend Jupson FB'd me and told me to breath in, breath out and cook, I thought, I might as well obey her. So I looked around my kitchen on what's available, and I found almost rotten bananers and yogurt that's way beyond retirement so I made banana bread.
While waiting for the bread in the oven, I sorted my still un-opened box of kitchen stuff in the garage. I don't know what I was smoking back then to think that I could make a moon cake, or why would I buy these molds? I got this 9 years ago thinking I would impress Don with a home made moon cake? Since Chat doesn't care for jewelries and I don't have money for her to inherit, maybe I should will this to her. At least she can beat her kids (if any are coming) into submission with this.Here's the banana bread recipe if you want it.
1 stick butter
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 c or about 2 bananas-mashed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c - sour cream (I didn't have sour cream so I used yogurt)
1.5 c - flour

1. Mix first 3 ingredients until creamy. Add bananas and cinnamon mixing it well. Then add the last 4 until all is well combined. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan at 350'c for 45 minutes or more. Mine was done in 45 minutes.

Unfriend or Hide

It used to be that when you meet new people you ask them questions like: do you live around here? And what do you do? (or if you're Filipino - how much is your salary?) But really, why ask when you get answers like, "Just google me." With all these technology and networking sites in our hand, we have isolated ourselves more than ever. Yes, we are more connected yet very disconnected from the very thing that humans really need; the physical and emotional connection.

The other day at a dinner party, (I hate socials, so don't ask why I was even there) I was trying to make small talk, ( because that's what you do at socials ) and I caught myself asking whoever I was talking to, "Are you on Facebook?" I don't know why I asked that, maybe to sound like I'm hip at networking? I like Facebook because I want to know what's happening in people's lives, not that I really care, but simply because I am nosy. But lately, I'm frustrated when I open my FB because I end up having to scroll way down before I can get to relevant or important (if there's such a thing as "relevant" or "important" on Facebook) status of friends because of all the annoying games and horoscope that people are publishing as their status.

Yesterday, I took the time to really learn Facebook and see how I can get rid of these annoying statuses or cancel my account altogether. Unfriend or Hide them, Chat said. Good idea. And this morning when I walked in to work, a co-worker was in a bad mood, whining about " No one wants to plow my farm." I said, "You bum coffee from me all the time and you have a farm?" "No, Farmville on Facebook. And I can't get anyone to help me with harvest either."

As if my Facebook problem is not enough already, now this. I don't know what Farmville is or any of that , all I know is that it's annoying the crap out of me. So how do I hide my co-worker? I can't, but I can hide my coffee.

You hate yourself that Much?

We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us!" - By Golda Meir 38 years ago!!


The other day, in the Telegraph UK I read that Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is of Jewish blood. I can't explain why, but my heart softened for him after that. It's hard to think nice things of this man but sometimes I find myself praying for him, because I have this deep belief that even the most hardened criminal is really not that hard. Underneath that toughness, there's a need that cries out - a need to be understood, to be accepted and to be loved because in reality, they are very much afraid.

"Love covers a multitude of sins and perfect love cast away fear," says Jesus. I wish Mahmoud would listen to Jesus and stop all these vile he's been spewing. And of course, I'm aware that there are Jesus followers who killed, thinking they are doing a service for God. Another reason why religion is dangerous. It's relationship that will commend us to God, not religion. So Mahmoud, stop hating yourself and your people. You're scaring me bro'.

At the Cross

Everything is levelled at the cross...at the foot of Jesus. HIS blood paid for every bad thing you and I have done.

Video Courtesy of WimNL-Thanks

Tradition with some Truth

I was at a Shabbat dinner last night with my Messianic Jews bible study group
and because Karen still practice the Livitical law in the Old Testament about eating only biblically kosher foods, this is what I brought. In traditional Jewish homes, Shabbat (7th day) starts on Friday at sundown and ends Saturday at sundown. Orthodox Jews don't work or labor during this time, but Jesus corrected them because they took it to where they won't even lift a finger to help, if someone needs help on the Sabbath. (Matthew 12:9-12)

The bread and wine. When Jesus had meals with His disciples, they drank from the same cup and broke bread together. Literally, this challah bread is not sliced, you break a piece from either end. (I love challah bread but I just can't deal with the drinking from the same cup)This is Karen, she lights the candle and prays the Shabbat prayer. The wife (or a woman) has to light the candle. A non-Messianic Jew does this out of tradition, but a Messianic Jew understands that Jesus, the light of the world came from a woman. Normally, a woman does not wear this Tallit (prayer shawl) but Karen uses it and we use this at the end of the prayer to symbolically cover the kids with prayers of blessings. I love this bible study group because Raoul, our teacher, teaches the bible with a Jewish perspective and it really makes the bible come alive because he makes us study the bible historically, spiritually and.... context, context, context. (Take a verse out of context and you can prove anything and misled people). Needless to say, it was a filling night- spiritually and gastronomically.