Sunday, December 27, 2009

Young Squash in my front yard


I am much of a renegade in home gardening. I am not sure why i planted a squash beside a marigold.
Suffice to say, the marigold flowered, the weeds grow and it seems that I have some squash going. It is one of those moments where I wonder if my tuition to horticulture school is worth it or to argue with myself over the merits of studying outside of my own garden?

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

In canada: Honor and Dignity

In the Philippines, my parents raised me Catholic and God-fearing.

As a teen-ager, my mom lectured me.

Mom: "You should be modest, no boyfriends until you finish college.

I did not have a boyfriend in high school.
I did not have a boyfriend in university.


My mom must be very proud of me!

The Philippines: Grade 1

I studied in public elementary school. Our school year starts June and end in March.

When I enrolled in Grade 1, I was one month short from 6 years of age (July is my birthday), but they encourage me to come anyways.

I was sitting at the back, because our seating arrangement is alphabetical.
My last name starts with letter S, and I ask if I can use my first name instead to sit in the very front. I was told no.

Our teacher is the boss, she talk, we listen.
We have interactive learning.
She ask the questions.
We raise our hand if we know the answer.
She call the shots.
And we show em what we got.


If we misbehave, she has stick, she won't hesitate to use it.
If we complain, she will send us home, and our parents will beat you more.

I was good at math, it's genetics.

In grade one, we have one hour for math.
When my teacher has a question, I answered them all.
And then my teacher decided that I answered my quota for the day, so I should stop raising my hand to answer the question.

But I keep raising my hand, and
I wondered why it took forever for my classmate to figure out 2 + 3.
My teacher did not respond to me.
I felt my hand very heavy.
I hit my classmate in the head, the pupil in front of me.

She transfered me to the very front seat of the class, close to my teachers table.
She asked a question again.
I raised my hand and she ignored me.


I folded a paper airplane, and it flew straight to my teacher's face.
I got her attention...it was golden!

Plectranthus





https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plectranthus


For some reason, this is just another plant, which I sort of remember that is of significance. Of what...don't ask me. After I got it home, I went back to work and left this pot on the side. Nothing remarkable happened until the day I saw an unusual flower. But then again, my camera is bad or my skills at photography needs improvement. The flower really fascinated me, and I hope I can find this plant again and study it more.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Roseola

Karlina has Roseola, at least that is what Dr. Jain told me. She got fever last Thursday October 8th. Then followed by some red spots on her body and in her face. It's looks like little pimple without the bump. In pictures, it looks like measles rash.

The advice: it will go away by itself. Just take care of her, she is "normally" fuzzy.

South Bank Medical Center is a walk in clinic off Bank and Hunt Club, near South Keys Shopping Mall.
Address: 2430 Bank Street Ottawa, ON K1V 0T7 - (613) 736-6946

South Bank Medical office hours are:
Monday to Friday >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 8:30am to 9:00 pm
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays>>>>>>>>>> 9:00 am to 6pm

Waiting Time: 1 hour to 2 hours
It is usually busy in there.

Home Made Fries

Potato Fries
4 sm. baking potatoes (about 1 lb.)
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. onion powder (optional)
Non-stick spray coating

Bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sweet Potato Fries
2 lbs (1 kg) sweet potatoes (3 to 4 large)
2 tbsp (25 mL) vegetable oil
rub:
2 tsp (10 mL) chili powder
1 tsp (5 mL) paprika
1 tsp (5 mL) salt

Bake at 425F for 25-30 minutes.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

DAY 41: July 15, 2009 WEDNESDAY

- wake up late
- worked at the farm with mila and bolitoy, burning twigs
- sleep in the afternoon
- watch basketball league (banhigan vs. matutinao) oh yeah...banhigan wins again!!!

DAY 40: JULY 14, 2009 TUESDAY

= no more work at the farm
= meet Nicolas Bajao, inquired about the 700 sq meters land for sale
= afternoon stayed home
= night, watch basketball league again

DAY 39: JULY 13, 2009 MONDAY

DAY 9 at the farm, last day of work too

- 7 workers ( angie, mila, tiyo ed, ronnie, simon, marilyn)
- it rained
- bought sundang 2 pieces
-watch basketball game (Poblacion vs. Banhigan) - Banhigan wins...yeah...

DAY 38: JULY 12, 2009 sunday

took a day off from the farm
spend time with family

DAY 37: July 11, 2009 SATURDAY


My guest at my birthday party at the farm...


= day 8 at the farm


= bought another 10 banana seedling from Nang Meding


= seven workers at the farm ( tiyo ed, mila, simon, ronnie, timmy, marilyn, angie)


= cooked pancit for my birthday, my gues, nang edad, nang meding

DAY 36: JULY 10, 2009 FRIDAY

- day 7 at the farm
- i planted the roses and carnation in our front lawn
- 7 workers at the farm ( mila, tiyo ed, simon, ronnie, marily, timmy, angie)
- chat with rob at 6pm in the net cafe

DAY 35: July 9, 2009 THURSDAY


- day 6 at the farm

- planted another 20 banana seedlings from basak (lakatan)

- 7 workers at thef arm (angie, mila, tiyo ed, marilyn, timmy, ronnie, simon)

DAY 34: July 8, 2009 WEDNESDAY

- day 5 at the farm
- 5 workers at the farm, (mila, tiyo ed, ronnie, simon, angie)
- planted another 5 bananas courtesy of nang edad
- lunch was pancit

DAY 33: JULY 7, 2009 TUESDAY




- plant 5 bananas


- 5 workers in the farm (mila, tiyo ed, simon, ronnie, angie)


- nang edad, boundary


- loaded smart bro, chat at the cafe....

DAY 32: JULY 6, 2009 MONDAY

- day 3 at the farm
- planted 18 coconuts at the farm
- 4 people at the farm (angie, mila, tiyo ed, simon)
- bought roses, carnation, bamboo plants

DAY 31: July 5, 2009 SUN

- day off from farm
- church with Kenny

DAY 30: July 4, 2009 SATURDAY

- 2nd day at the farm, with 5 people( timmy, ronnie, tiyo ed, mila and angie)
- we bought 2 piko, for clearing roots
- work hard

DAY 29: July 3, 2009 FRIDAY


Tiyo Ed, over powered by massive branches of weeds and other shrubs...

- first day cleaning at Banhigan Farm 1.70 hectares


- food: rice and dried fish for 3 meals


- bought groceries good for the week : 300 pesos


- got my menstration back


- 5 people at the farm( mila, tiyo ed, timmy, ronnie, and angie)

DAY 28: July 2, 2009 Thursday

- spent the morning at Highway 54 lot
- bought trapal, to sheild us for sun and rain
- spent the afternoon at home, climbed the Tisa tree to trim the branches from the rooftop.
- went to the net cafe at 6 pm.

DAY 27: July 1, 2009 WEDNESDAY

Happy Canaday Day my love...and darling Karlina!
breakfast: rice with pancit
lunch: rice with pancit
dinner:
Processing my POSTAL ID
-- got my barangay clearance, got the mayors signature
-- Tiyo ED drove me to Moalboal to submit my postal ID application
-- I paid 288 pesos and postal ID will be claimed on July 14th
-- it rained like crazy and we got wet

DAY 26: June 30, 2009 TUESDAY

breakfast: rice with veggies
lunch: rice withveggies
dinner: rice with lumayagan (small squid)

inquired to get a Postal ID
went to internet cafe at 6pm

DAY 25, June 29, 2009 MONDAY

=spent the morning getting new tax declaration for the Banhigan Lot
= paid 2009 taxes

=visited BNHS in the afternoon, have a chat with Maam Flor Medequillo.

DAY 24, JUNE 28, 2009 SUNDAY


Uncle Luthgardo and Inday Rufing, They have 2 children, Riza Lou and Reynan. Inset with Auntie Anabelle and Rose




Uncle Romulo with Auntie Eda, they have 7 kids.










Auntie Anabelle with her loving partner, Rose


















Auntie Angelina Singson Naingue with her 2 kids. (papas youngest sister).






































Soup made of squash and kamunggay with coconut milk.

























We hosted lunch for papa's younger siblings...

rice, ginamay (carrots, sayote, pork and chicken), and of course, pancit!









DAY 23, JUNE 27, 2009 Saturday


another nangka (jackfruit ) is ready for fruit feast...





Another Nangka is ripe and another fruit feast...

*** DETAILS***

-- wake up late and chat with Rob online
-- chit chat with dad's younger siblings
-- food: breakfast: rice with beans
lunch : rice with green leafy veggies
dinner: rice with finger foods

DAY 22, June 26, 2009 FRIDAY



He build a table too, and another bench accross. The place is ready for lunch...hahaha




Tiyo Ed building a bench for us at the Highway 54 property.

*** Details***

-- spend the day at Highway 54 clearing up the property which was fenced yesterday.
-- food details:
breakfast: rice and eggs
lunch: rice and veggies
dinner: hanging rice with barbecue

Papa's younger sibling arrived from Cebu City to attend the fiesta of Highway 54 tomorrow.

DAY 21, JUNE 25, 2009 Thursday



The whole gang fencing the side area of the Highway 54 property.




We are fencing the property in Highway 54. Tiyo Edgar is digging holes for the post.


***Details***

-- got the money from Rob in the morning, bought a new DVD players for the family 2,000 pesos.
-- birthday of John Angel Singson, Dongcoys 4th baby
-- food details:
breakfast : coffee
lunch: cooked banana, rice and dried fish
dinner: rice, veggies with pork

fruit of the day: atis and boungon (courtesy of Maam Gabina)

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

DAY 20, June 24, 2009 WEDNESDAY


Kenny praying at St John the Baptist Chapel, in Manay-as
...




Boats everywhere, celebrating the feast of St. John the Baptist. The walkway in the background is the private path to Badian Island Resort and Spa. The island on the background the the private resort, previously known as Eurasia, owned by a German company, now known as Badian Island Resort and Spa.













Cross this river to attend the fiesta, look closely at the houses accross the river. These houses are the host of the fiesta, in honor of St. John the Baptist.


















The fiesta host, with my family as guest....Mila, Mama, Lando and Kenny, Guest, Nang Ika and Papa Angel...











Kenny with fiesta host, Lando!























The foods at the fiesta..great banquet..courtesy of Montevon Family (Ika and Lando). This is from my fathers side, the mother of grandgfather Angel Singson Sr.






********************** EVENTS OF THE DAY *************************




== Spent the morning looking at property near Banhigan, about 900 square meters, owned by Bello Benemerit0


==spend the afternoon at Highway 54 (Uncle Gil and Dads property) clearing up the area.



== Its ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST FEAST DAY, we visited family friends and relatives and attended the fiesta.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Plants, Fruits and Tress


Avocado tree in the backyard. The fruit looks green, it will turn purple when ripe.







A banana tree in my backyard. The fruit will turn yellow when ripe.








Cleaned Nangka Fruit, ready for eating. Can be chilled too before serving.

I will eat this one now.







Victoria cutting the ripe nangka fruit. It smells so good.






Frontyard: Nangka , also known as Jackfruit



A dwarf cocunut in our front yard. So easy to get young coconut for buko salad.

and mature coconut for dishes with coconut milk.

DAY 19, June 23, 2009 Tuesday


we cleared this trees and plants yesterday at highway 54
papa and uncle boys land

meals:
breakfast - rice with eggplant
lunch - rice with noddles
dinner - rice with pork and mixed veggies...


****Events******
IT RAINED SINCE THE MORNING! iT RAINED ALL DAY!

i spend hours in the net cafe, updating this blog, replying to emails...and chatting with Rob....

DAY 18, June 22, 2009, MONDAY




at the shrine of mother mary







Sunday - lighting our family candle
****Events****
-- worked at the Highway 54 land for the day, cut some of the mahoganys
mom and dad, mila and kila went with me
-- i bought lamp shade
-- i was able to load smart bro in badian
-- chat with Rob at midnight...very happy to see Karlina
meals:
breakfast - rice with mongo and fried fish
lunch - rice with dried fish and mongo
dinner - rice with fish







DAY 17, June 21, 2009 Sunday


This is the inherited land by my father and Uncle Gil.
We spend our Sunday cleaning this area.





kenny strikes a pose with his ultra violet shades

**** events of the day*** IT RAINED AT 6pm onwards
-- light a candle at the church at 10 am
-- bought a violet shades for Kenneth
-- attended the 4:30 pm mass which is in English to my surprise
-- spend the noon clearing the land
-- chat with Rob till 8:30 pm

meals:
breakfast - rice with adobong kangkong, and banana hearts with cocunut milk
lunch - none
dinner - rice with kinilaw na talong (eggplant)

DAY 16, June 20, 2009, SATURDAY

This is the new flip flop that we bought for Kenny.





This is our sleeping quarters, me and Kenny
***events of the day***
spend time with kenny reading his books
started using the air conditioning unit in the room

Day 15, June 19, 2009 Friday



Dog in the House....


Cat in the house
*** memories in the closet***
i gave away all my remaining clothes in the house
i know I will never be able to wear a skirt with 24 inches waistline
i gave my elementary graduation dress to victoria, for his daughter apet

Monday, June 22, 2009

DAY 14, June 18, 2009 Thursday


Second, we smoke the coconut flesh until golden brown. Once it reached golden brown, it is now a copra, and we sell it to the middlemen that will also sell them to big processors of coconut oil. In Badian Cebu, this copra was sold at 18 pesos per kilo.






The process of making copra, the raw material for petroleum products such as motor oil and cooking oil I think.

First, the coconut fruit is broken in half and the flesh is taken out.

***events of the day***

== got the 10,000 pesos from Rob
== give the 2,000 pesos to mama for one sack of rice, about 48 kilograms of it.
== 3,000 to mila (laundry,cook, all around help at the house, and assist with kenny)
== reload 300 pesos for prepaid cellphone text

DAY 13, June 17, 2009 WEDNESDAY

Birthday girl MJ (Bolitoy;s Daughter) and Kenneth








Birthday Girl MJ and Cousin Eboy








Papa was so amuse with Kenny's enthusiasm to photograph the family.


== we make copra, the raw material for cooking oil and petroleum related products. It is from mature coconut flesh.


== breakfast is bittermelon with egg (palea with egg) with rice

== lunch is mix vegetables with rice
== dinner was noodles and some boiled chicken with rice


== Bolitoy's daughter MJ turned 3 years old.


== went to internet cafe


== visited Uncle Luthgardo and Aunt Rufina

== invited them for dinner, Bolitoys celebration

DAY 12, June 16, 2009 Tuesday


SugarCane Plant in my backyard...a lonely one!





This is what I look like in the morning..... in our living room. I am talking to Rob over the phone on the other end of the world. I miss you, my love!


=== morning chat with Rob in the internet, with all my family curious to see him on web cam

=== spend the day updating my blog

=== publish Kenny's photography and some of my own