Simply Belle

I miss my guitar. I feel like playing this song right now but my guitar is lacking a string. Bummer! Anak was very popular in the Philippines and in Asia when I was young, and even to this day. I’ve translated the lyrics into english for the benefit of non-tagalog speakers.

Nang isilang ka sa mundong ito
Laking tuwa ng magulang mo
At ang kamay nila ang iyong ilaw
At ang nanay at tatay mo’y
Di malaman ang gagawin
Minamasdan pati pagtulog mo
At sa gabi’y napupuyat ang iyong nanay
Sa pagtimpla ng gatas mo
At sa umaga nama’y kalong ka
Ng iyong amang tuwang-tuwa sa iyo

Ngayon nga ay malaki ka na
Nais mo’y maging malaya
Di man sila payag
Walang magagawa
Ikaw nga ay biglang nagbago
Naging matigas ang iyong ulo

At ang payo nila’y sinuway mo
Di mo man lang inisip na
Ang kanilang ginagawa’y para sa iyo
Pagkat ang nais mo’y
Masunod ang layaw mo
Di mo sila pinapansin

Nagdaan pa ang mga araw
At ang landas mo’y naligaw
Ikaw ay nalulong sa masamang bisyo
At ang una mong nilapitan
Ang iyong inang lumuluha
At ang tanong,”anak, ba’t ka nagkaganyan”
At ang iyong mata’y biglang lumuha ng di mo pinapansin
Nagsisisi at sa isip mo’y
Nalaman mong ika’y nagkamali
Nagsisisi at sa isip mo’y
Nalaman mong ika’y nagkamali
Nagsisisi at sa isip mo’y
Nalaman mong ika’y nagkamali
Nagsisisi at sa isip mo’y
Nalaman mong ika’y nagkamali

English version

When you were born into this world
Your parents were all thrilled
And their hands served as your light
And your mother and father couldn’t hold still
Watching you even in your sleep

In the evening, your mother was sleep deprived
Preparing your milk
And during the day, your father was fond of you
While you you sat on his lap

Now, that you’ve grown
You wanted to be free
Despite of their objection
There’s nothing they could do
You suddenly changed
And became hard-headed

And you didn’t heed to their advices
It didn’t even occur to you that what they were doing
Was for your own good
Because all you wanted was to satisfy your own caprices
You then chose to ignore your parents

And time has passed
you’ve suddenly gone astray
And you succumbed to evil things
And the first person you got in touch with
Was your crying mother
And she asked, “my son/daughter, why did you end up like this?”

And unaware, tears suddenly came rolling down your face
you felt remorse, and finally realized that you have done wrong (4x)

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Bato Rural Development High School

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My daughter’s birthday is coming up and since she made the Dean’s list this year, she wanted us to get her a special present for her birthday.  And so we bought her a keyboard through target.com.

It was my husband who placed an order. He filled out the needed information on the billing list including the billing and shipping addresses.  For some reason, it wouldn’t accept the shipping address he provided.  Instead, the target.com picked another address where she used to live, and whether the address was correct or not, we just had to take it.  My husband tried mightily hard to change the shipping address to the correct one he initially filled out.  Strangely, it wouldn’t accept it.

We tried to cancel the order, and again, it wouldn’t let us. I’ve never heard of such policy that you can’t cancel or make changes minutes after you placed an order. It said that the order was being processed and no changes were allowed. It would not even give us the shipper’s name, for heaven’s sake.  I wouldn’t be surprised if  Target online will be out of business in the near future.

Are we dealing with US business or some backward foreign business? Who is in charge of order online at target.com? It The site is definitely not user’s friendly. If target.com doesn’t accept PO delivery (where my daughter gets her mail), at least, let us know and give us an option to provide alternative shipping address.  It wouldn’t. It  just took the order with the address it preferred, and processed it.

I went to target.com site and found some phone numbers to call. It was some foreign girl with an accent who was on the other line, and my husband couldn’t understand a word she said. She hang up on him!  The nerve of her!!

I called the same number but tried different option. Again, a guy from some foreign place  answered the phone.  Geeshh, he wasn’t much of a help either.  He said, there was nothing much he could do once the order was being processed.  The only info he was able to give me was the shipper’s name.  UPS.  Just what I thought. How will the UPS know my daughter is no longer residing in that address? They don’t have the system like USPS that keeps forwards of the people moving out except in some cases when customers move leaving no forwarding address.

I told the guy that unless the UPS asks for signature, most likely, the delivery person will  leave the package outside the front door of her old residence thinking that she lives there when in fact, she had moved out 7 months ago. If the residents are honest, they will notify the UPS of the wrong delivery or they can take the package and pretend they know nothing about it.

That is what we get from shopping at target.com. Don’t know what is going to happen on that order.  Any help?

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Recently, Lexi and I switched cars because she needed a 4-wheel drive on snow in Flagstaff.  I had only been driving her car for a week when it completely conked out on me.  The first day, I had difficulty starting the engine, the next days, it took longer and harder to start, until it went kaput.

We don’t know much about automobiles.  We used to have a good and honest mechanic in town but ever since the owner got sick and hired new staff, my husband hasn’t been pleased with his service.  So, we were on the prowl again for a new mechanic.

During the new year’s party at my friend’s house, my husband tried to find a good mechanic through an acquaintance who claimed to know a top notch one.  His two other friends from the party also vouched for the mechanic.  My husband asked for his phone number.  I guess this mechanic has a full time job at an auto shop here in Payson and wants to supplement his income by after-work jobs.  Well, we didn’t see anything wrong with earning on the side, so we called him.

The next afternoon, he came over to our house.  He wasn’t able to tell what was wrong with the car without his tools, which he should have brought with him. Or possibly, he had them all along in his truck.

So, he came back again the following afternoon with his scope to have another look at it.  My husband left him alone this time because it was chilly in the garage, and he was getting cold.  I told him to keep an eye on the guy but he didn’t think it was necessary.  He trusted him.   About 10 minutes later, D (the mechanic) told us that the car needed a timing chain which could cost around $900 to $1,100.

D was so good at explaining what sort of symptoms a car manifests when it needs a timing chain. He acted so believable and trustworthy.

Hubby: (feeling so shocked) What if the problem is not the timing chain?

D: I eliminated all the possible problems, and I don’t know what else it could be.

Hubby: So, what do you recommend?

D: Tow the car to the shop where I work but don’t mention to the owner that I looked at the car already. Just say it won’t start.

Hubby: Okay

The next day, my husband looked for the phone number of D’s shop in the directory but for some  reason, the listing was not in 2010 phone book.  He then picked out another shop just to inquire how much a timing chain replacement would cost. The guy he spoke made several calls and said that it was highly unlikely that the problem of our car was the timing chain. He said that the Phoenix Auto Supply where they order parts don’t even carry that part for a Nissan because there hasn’t been a need for it.  He then talked my husband into bringing the car to his shop and promised to waive the diagnostic fee since we were first time costumer.

D who was looking at our car and who was supposed to come back the next afternoon to fix my husband’s Toyota’s heater,  knew nothing of the new arrangement made with the second mechanic.  My husband became leery about D after what the second shop had told him.

The next afternoon, D came and pounded on the front door. My husband informed him up front that he couldn’t find his shop’s phone number in the phone book so that lead him to call another shop and he revealed to him what they said about Nisson driving chains. D said he already ordered the part for the heater and asked to be reimbursed for it. We paid him $25.

D didn’t appear to care or so, I thought.  He said they were pretty jugged up anyway.  He left and promised to come back on Friday to fix the heater of the other car.

But D didn’t show up on Friday with the heater part as promised.  Not on Monday even, or Tuesday.  Not even a call.  What was wrong?  We started wondering.

To make the story short, in the interim while waiting for Friday to come, we ended up towing the car to a totally different shop recommended by my friend from work. Not to D’s or the other shop I mentioned above.  As it turned out, the problem was not the timing chain but cracked and loose spark plugs that needed to be replaced.  My husband felt a sigh of relief!  He had the new shop mechanic replaced the other two spark plugs, too, and put air in the tires – all for $120 including labor.

Look at how much we saved! It pays to shop around for mechanics, don’t you think?

Now, what about D? You be the judge.  He had a couple of days to look at the car, and being a good mechanic that he is per his friends, which we believe, he should have been able to detect the obvious problems right away.  And why didn’t come back to fix the heater on Friday? Any answers?

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Belle doing yoga

I don’t know about you, but in my age, 40 something, it is extremely hard to keep my weight down. It is like yo-yo. Like I would watch my diet extra careful for over a month, and spend 4 to 5x a week huffing and puffing on the treadmill, and maybe successfully lose 5 pounds, then in just a day of eating a full course meal including dessert is enough to gain two to three pounds back. So unfair! I’ve worked so painstakingly hard to lose that 5 pounds for over a month only to gain a couple of pounds back. And then, I suddenly notice I can’t quite fit in my favorite jeans I wore just over a month ago. I mean, it can still fit if I suck in my abs and remain standing for the whole entire day. Because the moment I sit down for a standard duration, my pants bulge here and there. So uncomfortable that I wish of changing into a pajama pants right at that moment.

But I love that jeans. Pssst, I think it belonged to my younger daughter but it was a little too big on her so she abandoned it. I then took over it. Hands me up. And I vow to continue wearing it even if I have to constantly work hard to fit in it rather than buying a new one. It is an incentive for me to stay in shape, I guess.

Maintaining a certain weight for a person my age is no easy feat especially now that everything you buy at the grocery store seems to be bad for you. Almost everything! The vegetables are saturated with pesticides, the meats are full of hormones, dyes, and whatever else, the drinks are full of sugar. The water is mostly sold in a PLASTIC container that is not good for you. The desserts are nothing but sugar and fat. No wonder why obesity is prevalent in our society.

Anyway, I came up with some guidelines to keep me or you from getting obese. Do not ever skip your breakfast. Doing so just makes you crave for unwanted food later in the day. Bowl of high fiber cereal, low-sugar, with reduced fat milk and berries is highly recommended. I put goji berries and blueberries and slices of half banana in mine. Eat four or more serving of vegetables and 3 or more servings of fruits. Reach for whole grain bread, brown rice, and oatmeal. Stick with healthy fats like olive oil, vegetable oil, and nuts.

One good rule of thumb is eat lots of good food, and less of bad food. How is that?

If you are like some of the people who get midnight snack cravings, often times, a glass of water will take care of the problem. It is also nice to keep raw nuts in your pantry that you can nibble on when hunger pangs occur. If water and nuts don’t do it for you, try graham crackers (preferably chocolate flavor) for dessert. First, you spread a low fat whipped cream on a piece of graham cracker, top with another piece looking like a sandwich, and freeze. It tastes just like a chocolate ice cream.

Even though diet has a lot to do in losing weight, it is still best to add exercise in the program. Start with 15 minutes walk 4x a week, 20 minutes 5x a week, 25 minutes 7x a week, 30 minutes 7x a week, 35 minutes 7x a week, 40 minutes 7x a week picking up pace this time, until an hour a day 7x a week.

Lastly, patience is the key to losing weight. If you fail once, twice, thrice, despair not. Start all over again.

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Let’s pause and  ponder for a moment.  What do you think is the ideal job nowadays that outweighs its advantages from its disadvantages? Nursing? Surely they get paid well but they work long night shift messing up the body’s biological clock.  Teaching? With the preponderance of rotten kids these days, I don’t think teaching is such an ideal profession anymore.  Stress gets to you eventually unless you teach in a better neighborhood. Delivering mail? Almost but not quite. Come to think of it, letter carriers like me are prone to accidents despite at how adamantly and religiously we follow safety rules and regulations.  While we try our hardest to be safe, there are things that surround us that are beyond our control.

For instance, a couple of months ago, a fellow carrier while unassumingly serving the box, an inattentive driver driving a full-size Ford pickup struck the letter carrier’s vehicle from behind in broad daylight pushing it off the road into the wash about 40 to 50 feet away from where the vehicle was initially located.  Fortunately, the carrier’s seat belt was in place and the engine was shut off and wheels were curved to the right thereby reducing the extent of injury sustained by my fellow carrier.  Had he not followed the safety precautions as mandated by the post office, think about the possible scenarios that could have happened to him.  Just thinking about it makes me cringe.

Well, just recently, another tragedy happened from a good friend and also a letter carrier.  She hopped out of her vehicle to deliver a package when suddenly, an unexpected turn of event awaited her.  A vicious dog whom she had not seen or met but was aware of its existence from the barks and growls he makes from inside of the house, was wandering loose in the homeowner’s premises while his masters were out on the porch sunbathing.  I don’t know why the homeowners suddenly cut him loose when they themselves claim that the dog is unpredictable and can’t be trusted around people.  Taking chances, perhaps? Dog is a dog and would do his job at what he is trained for.  He saw my friend as an intruder and immediately engulfed her elbow with its pangs.  Owner tried to pull the dog away from her but his mouth was planted securely on her elbow and wouldn’t let go until the dog had managed to spread the injury down to her poor working hand.  She was petrified!  Blood was flowing profusely from her elbow. Evidently, the dog’s teeth had penetrated deeply.  Her hand sustaining the most injury turned purple.

As a routine procedure, she went to the hospital to get treatment. The dog is under observation and is quarantined for 10 days.  My friend, still hurting on the 3rd day,  was put on antibiotic for possible infection.

Now, are the owners liable for her? Of course, they are.  Ferocious dog like that shouldn’t be permitted to wander off the street near humans.  I just hope that the animal control would make sure that it is the first and last time this dog will harm someone.

Let’s learn from this incident so you know what to do when you come across a vicious dog.  Some warning signs that the dog is about to attack are:

• Barking
• Growling
• Hair standing up on the back of the neck
• Tail is usually up and still

Also, when confronted by a dog in the  posture of attack, do not stare directly into dog’s eyes.  What has worked for me in the past was calmly talk to the dog to go home, go home, go home.  Never turn your body away from the dog. The dog sees it as a vulnerability/opportunity for attack.  Sometimes, the dog’s muzzle pressed hard against my front, growling and barking.  Vicious and nasty! I stood still and I continued ordering him to go home, go home, and go home. The dog often listened surprisingly.  And then I worked my way out of the fence gingerly, walking backwards facing the dog because if he senses you are running away from him, he will chase you like a bullet.  You may be wondering why would I go inside the fence with dog putting my life in danger. There was no warning or sign on the gate to warn me of the presence of dog, and dog was usually somewhere hiding,  and it was my job to give the best possible service to the customer.  Sadly, sometimes, we learn it the hard way.

When the dog manages to knock you down, however, quickly roll into a ball, cover your face, throat, and stomach and stay still.

photo was lifted here

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I was in a vehicle too engrossed in delivering letters to the box one fine day, when, suddenly, I heard a high pitch voice from somewhere.

Wait! Wait!

I stopped what I was doing and glanced at the side mirrors of my vehicle to decipher where the voice was coming from but couldn’t see a thing. So, I resumed my activity, and lo and behold, a little boy, popped out of nowhere, was suddenly next to my side, holding a paper.  If he wasn’t a boy,  it would have scared me to death.  I easily get startled these days especially if I am so immersed at what I am doing, and someone suddenly appears right next to me like a genie.

Boy: Can you read this for me please?

Me: Tristan, please do not tease the dog.

He flipped the paper over.

Boy: And this?

Me: It says the same thing but in reverse.

I saw him process the information in his mind. I could tell that he was disappointed as he wasn’t going to be able to play with the neighbor’s dog anymore. He loves dog so much. He was also worried that his neighbor might tell his parents and reprimand him. So, I soothed and calmed his fear down to make him feel better.

Me: Know what?

Boy: What?

Me: Your neighbor is definitely not mad at you. She just doesn’t want you get bitten by the dog.

Boy: (Looking relieved,  he went on to narrate a story.) When I was little, I used to play a lot with our dog, and the dog bit me on my lips. See the scar? (his finger pointing on his lips). Indeed, there was a scar.

Me: Reason why your neighbor doesn’t want you to tease the dog. How old are you?

Boy: I am six.

I offered to throw the paper away but he was a bit hesitant. He ran across the road towards his driveway, and paused and looked at me. He was probably wondering if he should show the paper to his mom or have me throw it away. As soon as he decided his mother need not see the paper, he ran back towards me.

Boy: Can you please throw away this for me?

Me: Certainly! Bye now.

Boy: Bye.

It’s been over a month now and I haven’t seen him.

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Me: Meg, can I showcase your beauty in my blog?

Meg: tita! that’s so sweet of you! i don’t mind, it’ll be an honor for me, as a matter of fact

Me: Thanks Meg! Your beauty reminds me of the super model Cindy Crawford.

Meg Tanael is the daughter of my friends, Maria Liza Rodriguez and Rolando Tanael, all natives of Bato, Catanduanes. Both parents were my batch mates in high school. Meg is 20 years old, a senior in University of Asia and the Pacific majoring in Information Technology. She has an older brother named Daryl Tanael whom she fondly calls “kuya,” a term filipinos use as a sign of respect to an older brother.

She was born in Pasay, Philippines. At age six, her parents accepted job offers in Saudi Arabia.  They took with them Meg and her brother and started new careers and brand new life in some strange place in Saudi Arabia, reason why she was hardly known in Bato or in Catanduanes. She graduated from high school in International Philippine School in Riyadh in which she was a consistent honor student.

I had had a chance to exchange email with Meg’s father several years back, and he mentioned how beautiful her daughter has evolved and blossomed,  and I could tell how proud he was of her. I get same feedback from her mother who is now based in USA. Though she has been persuaded a career in modeling for the last several years in the Philippines, her mother has adamantly insisted that she finish her college first before she ventures into such things. One thing that strikes me about Meg is she is a very sweet girl and she minds her parents. Most kids these days do whatever they please regardless of what their parents say. When Meg celebrated her 20th birthday, she wanted very much to go bungee jumping, and she asked me if i could entice her mom to allow her to do it. I didn’t talk to her mom. I just reasoned with her that bungee jumping is such a risky activity, that she should save this reckless abandonment stuff for later.  Lo and behold, she listened which made me so proud of her.

Her beauty didn’t go unnoticed in the Philippine community in Saudi Arabia. At a young age of 15, she was crowned first Binibining Pilipinas-Riyadh 2004.  As a result,  she became more  and more popular even in the Phillipines. I could imagine how proud her parents are of her. I know I am.

She now resides with her older brother in the Philippines. Now and then, she visits her mom in the USA or vice versa.

Lately, she has had many pictorials from various Philippine photographers, currently modeling for Circuit Fashion for Multiply sellers (designers) & Publicity Events Dep’t. (PED) of the UP Public Relations Advertising Society (PR+Ads)

Meg during her senior year in high school

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There should be no reason why people should go hungry these days. Absolutely no reason! We all have small portion of land in our yard that we can turn into vegetable garden except, of course,  for people living in the apartments and condos.  The only hard part of  gardening is the preparation of the soil and beds, but it is a breeze once the hard part is out of the way.  All you need to do is add compost to the soil once a year. Veggie gardening doesn’t raise water bill that much if drip irrigation is installed.  It is fairly reasonable rate. They say that for every dollar you invest in the garden, you get $4 dollars back.  Pretty good return of investment I must say.

Have  you noticed how expensive vegetables at the grocery store nowadays? Several months ago, I bought 3 huge tomatoes and it cost me about $5.  Expensive, huh? It has something to do with the supply and demand. If there is more demand than supply, then what happens?  Obviously, the price goes up.  Even if it was against my will to spend that much money on tomatoes, I had no choice.  I needed them in my cooking.  I forgot to mention that the tomatoes I bought were hot house tomatoes. They were fed commercialized fertilizer made from oil. And they didn’t taste as good as the organic ones grown in our garden, not to mention how nutritionally deprived they were being that they were grown in oil.

And with this price of produce nowadays, most college kids would rather opt for for fast food rather than a wholesome meal because they simply can’t afford it. Need I say why people are sicker these days?

Anyway, I thought I would show you how small plot in your backyard can bring in so much produce for at least 5 months – year-round for people with moderate climate.

Prolific zucs

Tasty tomatoes

Fruits of different varieties

Delicious green beans

Last but not the least, the ever-nutritious saluyot

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Per Joe’s and Ching’s request, I am posting a recipe of the pancit bihon complete with photo illustration.

Begin by boiling a whole Cornish game hen (gives more flavor to the broth than regular chicken) to produce about 2 1/2 cups of broth. I then shred the cooked meat to use in this recipe.

Soak the rice stick noodles in lukewarm water for 5 minutes at the most, and drain the noodles.  Set aside.

See photos below, by the way.

1. Slice the veggies and meat into thin strips according to your preference. Cabbage, green beans, carrots, and snow peas are recommended for this recipe. You can use chicken, pork, shrimp combination or you can use one type of meat only. Like my daughter, Steffi, she likes to use shrimp only. Also, chop up 3 to 4 cloves of garlic finely and onion, coarsely.

2. Saute garlic and onions in 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil for a minute or two until translucent. (I like to use oil generously)

3. Add the meat to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Add about 4 to 5 tablespoon of soy sauce depending on your taste.

4. Add 2 1/2 cups of broth to the meat (this measurement is for the whole package of noodles = 16 oz.) Bring to a boil.

5. Add the veggies to the boiling broth, and blanch them. Remove veggies and meat from the broth. The broth stays in the pan.

6. Add the noodle to the broth and keep stirring for 5 minutes. Add more soy sauce if needed. Add a good pinch of sugar, a tablespoon of oyster sauce and a tablespoon of fish sauce (oyster sauce and fish sauce are optional.) Add a pinch or two of chicken bouillon powder (also optional.)

7. Then add the cooked veggies to the noodles and mix them all thoroughly on medium heat. This is when I add the snow peas because I like them cooked al-dente. If the noodles are not fully cooked this time, add a small amount of water at a time and cover the pan. Turn the heat on low while you are doing this. It shouldn’t take long anymore, the most is 3 minutes as you don’t want a soggy noodles.

8. Transfer noodles into a big serving dish. Garnish with slices of hard-boiled eggs and chopped-up green onions.

9. Enjoy. Oh, try squeezing a tad bit of lemon on your noodles before eating.

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