That's Why

Now I know where Super Nanay gets all her powers from. Got to have that fabricated too for myself. :)

A Spotlight on Mothers

Same as the previous years, I am obliged to offer help to flower shop most especially in special events like this: Mother's Day. As always, I am assigned to preparing message cards for recipients. It feels really good to read all these messages, adding a personal touch, like putting a small heart or a smiling face. Never thought about working on weekends. Loved the job anyway.

It feels really good to see so many flowers, so much it creates a bed, everywhere. It feels equally as good, that we make these women happy by these arrangements.

On a personal note, I'd like to share the sms conversation with my mom:

Super Nanay: Hi! Musta? Kahit di mo ako pansinin, happy mother's day sa nanay ni Earla! [Hi! How are you? Even if you ignore me, Happy Mother's Day to Earla's mom!]

Me: Happy Mother's Day Mommy! Malilimutan ko ba naman yun, e love na love kita! [Happy Mother's Day Mommy! How can I ever forget, I love you very very much!]

Super Nanay: Ok. Love din kita. Hindi ako nanay kung wala ka. Ingat. [Ok. I love you too. I will never be a mother, if you're not here. Take care.]

I didn't manage to reply in an instant, tears started to fall. No matter how comical my relationship with my mom is, it certainly evokes a kind of unexplainable love, maybe no other daughter/son has ever experienced. The present may be late, but I never forget, most especially on occasions like these.

During the mass yesterday, the priest advised all mothers to stand up for them to be blessed. I proudly stood up, feeling a deep sense of motherly love. I have been a mother too, to my niece, to my siblings, to friends, to our pets. Though, I may not have experienced yet having a biological son/daughter, I feel responsible to mother and nurture people and things around me. I am proud, and at the same time, humbled, as tears started to fall again.

It may be a bit late, but nevertheless, I would like to salute all the mothers, as well as the mothers-to-be. Being one is one tough vocation.

If they say, yesterday is for our mothers, then today is the time we put the spotlight to our motherland.

Becoming

It feels a bit odd with how communication with a friend on vacation in the US through skype went on. Before bidding goodbye, she was saying good night while I was saying good morning. There, I've come to realize that we are all getting old. We all go to different places, tread different paths, indulge to different activities. But one thing remains certain, and it is that real friends will always be friends, no matter how far we are physically, and no matter how and what we have become.

Sputnik Sweetheart

"An intense love, a veritable tornado sweeping across the plains--flattening everything in its path, tossing things up in the air, ripping them to shreds, crushing them to bits. The tornado's intensity doesn't abate for a second as it blasts across the ocean, laying waste to Angkor Wat, incinerating an Indian jungle, tigers and all, transforming itself into a Persian desert sandstorm, burying an exotic fortress city under a sea of sand. In short, a love of truly monumental proportions."

Currently reading Haruki Murakami's Sputnik Sweetheart. With so much eagerness, a friend sent it over to me from Japan. Every flip of a page creates so much thirst for a love that truly conquers all.

A Taste of Xiao Long Bao

Lately, I am having a confusion whether I love Chinese food more than Japanese. For quite a few months before, I never tire myself of eating sushi and maki, even everyday. But now that I have finally found a few good restaurants, I'm beginning to lust over Chinese food more--most especially the Xiao Long Bao.

Xiao Long Bao, pronounced as "shao-long-pao," was introduced to me when I lived in China a few years back. It has become a staple food as it has been one of the most delicious food for me in China, even when bought on the side of the streets.

Xiao Long Bao is commonly known as a "soup dumpling," mainly because what makes it different from other dumplings is that, it has a liquid inside each dumpling. I may say that I have practiced the art of eating xiao long bao, as not being very careful in eating it might lead to squirting the soup when you take a bite.

At Din Tai Fung, Junction8, Bishan, taking a quick look at my Xiao Long Bao, before I devour those 10 pieces all by myself.

*Apologies for the long hiatus. Blame it on the creative block. Blame it on the numerous work loads. Blame it on eating a lot lately.