FIRST TIME MOM: The Party Planner

It's March 20 and in a couple of weeks time, my first son's birthday is coming up.. It's not just a birthday celebration, it's his FIRST, and it's also the day of his dedication to Christianity. So as first time mother who'll be having a party for my precious son, I am a bit anxious and so super duper excited!!... i get confused as to what to do first, and then what...

So, it's his birthday and dedication..what's next? THE PARTY BLUEPRINT :) Let the planning get started, so what are the ABC's?

A. Acknowledge the party and those who are coming. I wouldn't be planning something if there isn't anything or if nobody would be coming right?

B. Budget/ Bank. How much is in your bank? Certainly you wouldn't go planning for something beyond your bank's limit or beyond how much you could afford, or else, another planning should be done to fill up the credits, right?

C. Create. Create something to be done. Create something in style. Create a program. Create something that suits your party. :)

Knowing the ABCs, you would know HOW TO PLAN the Specifics of your party:

1. The Invitation. A- is it enough for the number of people you have invited? B - can you afford it? C - does it portray what is to be done - what, why, when, and where?

2. The Venue. A - is it enough for the number of people you have invited? B - can you afford it? C - does it conform with the type of party you are to celebrate?

3. The Decors. A - is it ideal for the number of people you have invited? is it too few? or is it too much to crowd the place? B - can you afford it? C. does it go with the kind of party you are planning?

4. The Food. A - is it enough for the number of people you have invited? B - can you afford it? C - Does it fit with the preference of the expected visitors? Children would like spaghetti, burgers, fried chicken, hotdogs, cakes and some juice. Adults would prefer main course dishes like steak, meatballs...etc.

5. The Souvenirs. Some people provide souvenirs to visitors, specially if it is a formal adult party. Loot bags or party bags are given to the young in children's party. so again, the ABC's - enough, afford, conforms?

So those are the things to be considered, so now, i'll be making a to-do list, making sure everything's going to be set :) I hope this blog helps those who find it :)

Confessions of a Damselle: Part II

and so it was Hell, Heaven, and Earth...

I used to believe it was just Earth, but Earth could never exist without heaven and hell. so getting away from the comfort zone is all about creating a new world of your own, with its own heaven, with its own hell.

so why this phrase?

"i dug into the core of temptation
i saw things beyond the grasp of my imagination
and so i knew i was a human being
capable of grave sinning"

i know i dug, i did everything to get out of the comfort zone, and learned new things - how to be on my won. with everything i learned - believing i was on what i termed as Earth, i did things on my own and i know, with "Earth" as a knowledge alone, lead me to things that lead me to what i termed as Heaven. At that time that I discovered heaven, i also discovered it was "Hell".

and so this phrase comes in:

i knew, i know, i am going to know more
to be who i will become in the future
someone who is definite of her own realm
someone who is contented and does not blame

i have REALLY established my own definite realm, contented, and accountable for the other Earth i invented.. away from the comforts and discomforts i used to dislike, but now near the comforts and discomforts i am about to dislike...

i know, the comfort zone is where everyone goes when the tough gets going, like everyone else who rolls into a fetal position when in distress, remembering how comfortable it was when he was in his mother's womb...

and i guess, i'm going back...to regain strength, and composure - to battle the other earth i made, which i guess became "Mars", and make it an "Earth" once again :)

CONFESSIONS OF A DAMSELLE

"i dug into the core of temptation
i saw things beyond the grasp of my imagination
and so i knew i was a human being
capable of grave sinning"

...this was one of the stanzas of my poem, way back before i made my way to manila...

LIVING AWAY FROM THE COMFORT ZONE

What is the comfort zone? It's actually the area within the perimeter of which your "comfort people" and "comfort stuffs" could reach you.

Who are the "comfort people"? These are the people who provide psychological, physical, and financial ease to a person. It usually encompasses your relatives especially your mom, dad, and siblings.

What are the "comfort stuffs"? These are things that a person "pre-own", given by family members and friends, and are of sentimental value. It is somewhat related to the "comfort pillow", in which a person can no longer sleep well when he doesn't have it. So, basically, "comfort stuffs" are things that would not allow a person to to do things fairly well if not with.

And how is life away from the comfort zone?

If it would be seen in a manner like "getting away from all the comforts", it would be like "HELL"... but if it would be seen in a way like "getting away from parental responsibilities, parental rules and established social norm restrictions" it would be like "HEAVEN"... but if it would be seen in a manner like "establishing independence - that is, getting more accountable in your own actions, getting more responsible in your own life" then it would be "EARTH", where life starts.

---to be continued---

^_^" nsa work pa ako e... nyahaha ^_^"

TEARS

I don't know how to start to tell a story that have long passed but still keeps haunting and taunting me in my dreams... a story that keeps me shattered, broken, and unfixed... within... All I can do to express how I feel way deep inside is through this picture...I have a story to tell but I have to keep it through my self and tell it through an ocean of tears that keeps draining from the alps through a rugged river.. I may seem tough... but I am fragile...

Recipe: BAKED MACARONI

It's like 11:00pm and I am kinda blogorrheic... LOL.. Here's the recipe for the "Baked Macaroni ala Yumi" as requested by Nurse Joyce... :D


Ingredients:
THE MAC

1. Elbow Macaroni - 1 kg
2. Water - 1000 mL
3. Magic Sarap - 1 pinch
4. Dari Cream - 1 tsp

• Any brand you prefer but I suggest Del Monte Wheat Elbow Macaroni... lol
• First, boil water with a pinch of Magic Sarap seasoning mix and Dari Cream (Generally, people usually use a pinch of salt as a preservative and a teaspoon of oil of any brand and kind but I prefer to use Magic Sarap and Dari Cream to add flavor..hehe..it's yummy!)
• While waiting for the mixture to boil, you can prepare the sauce
• Next, when the mixture is boiling, pour 1 kg Elbow Macaroni and stir occassionally until al dente.
  
• Last, when the pasta is tender enough for you, strain, pour cold running water and stir to prevent sticking of the pasta. Then, set aside and do the SAUCE

THE SAUCE

1. Clara Ole's Three Cheese Pasta Sauce - 1000 mL
2. Clara Ole's Bacon and Cheese Pasta Sauce - 500 mL
3. Bell Pepper (Green and Red - chopped) - 2 cups
4. Onion (chopped) - 1/2 cup
5. Garlic (chopped) - 1/2 cup
6. Dari Cream - 1 tbsp
7. Thyme - 1/2 tsp
8. Sage - 1/2 tsp
9. Eden Cheese (Grated) - 225 gms
10. Mayonnaise - 1 cup
11. Button Mushroon Sauce
    

• I only found Clara Ole brand to have my favorite ingredient - the CHEESE. It has Parmesan , Romano and Cheddar Cheese in one delicious Pasta Sauce! LOL... I just love cheese and cheese and cheese... so there's another grated cheeses and Bacon and Cheese pasta sauce... LOL
• The Bell Pepper i used has this sweet aroma and flavor that adds to the flavor of the sauce to be used. Also, being chopped, the pepper adds to the texture of the sauce...as well as the world famous onion and garlic. Hmmm... what else? My sister-in-law also uses ground tofu to add texture. Well, I really use Dari Cream 'coz I find it healthy and yummy...LOL..
• Thyme and Sage are healthy Italian herbs that add to the tempting aroma of the sauce ;p
  
• First, Saute Bell Pepper, Onion, Garlic and the Italian Herbs in Dari Cream in sauce pan until the yumi-est aroma is achieved
• Second, pour all the Pasta Sauce, Mushroom sauce and Cheese in sauce pan and simmer until thick. To thicken more and add a little sour taste, add Mayonnaise and simmer

THE CHEESY STACK

1. Eden Cheese / MeltSarap (sliced) - 450 gms
2. Button Mushroom (sliced)
3. Green and Red Bell Pepper (chopped and sliced in rings)
4. Cheese (grated) - 225 gms
5. THE SAUCE
6. THE MAC

• Depending on your preference, you can either mix the sauce and the mac first or just have the sauce for layering the cheesy stack...but what I did is that, I mixed part of the sauce and all of the mac first such that the mac would have flavor. :D

• First, pour a thin layer of the sauce at the bottom of the baking pan (I used the microwave, so my baking pan is the microwave-safe container bought by mom..lol)
• Second, add a layer of the mac then on top of it, arrange the sliced cheese evenly to cover the whole floor of mac, arrange the button mushroom slices and spread some of the chopped bell pepper.
• Repeat the first and second step until you reach the brim of the baking pan.
• For the finale, spread grated cheese to cover all of the floor of cheesy mac, arrange button mushrooms and bell pepper rings according to your own style...then the mac is ready to be baked!
• I used MO so, I baked it for 5 - 8 minutes until the cheese melted at power level 10 of our microwave..lol I dunno for real ovens...hekhekhek

I hope you loved the recipe Ms. Joyce.. :D

Food...Food...Food

Who doesn't like to eat food when the it feels so good to eat food? especially when it has been presented in a very tempting manner...I've been kinda-sorta addicted to food presentations lately and...taddahh...hahaha...even my simplest breakfast, I had to arrange to get my appetite.. I know I still have to practice on presentations...hekhekhek...


BAKED MACARONI

Once upon a yumi-no-sekken's birthday, yumi baked the yumi-est mac on town... lolz... with a three-cheese pasta sauce mixed with some button mushroom slices and mushroom sauce, thyme and sage, with a little mayo to add some magical sour taste..lol



TUNA BALLS

There was one time my dad traveled south to Mindanao and brought a ton of tuna flakes that we didn't even know what to do with it... Until one brilliant yumi-no-sekken afternoon, I discovered a yummy tuna ball recipe in the corners of my crammed mind... lolz... Some batter of starch, ground black pepper, sage and thyme; a toasted bread crumbs breading; and some pickles to add flavor to the dish... and taddaaahhh.... a yummy healthy dinner for the family!!!



hmmmmm.... Life's full of food!...LOL

99% NO MORE TEARS FOR GIRLS

Have you ever seen the shampoo JHONSON's BABY SHAMPOO with NO MORE TEARS Formula?
I wish I could find out that formula to give me a 100% NO MORE TEARS in Relationships


I grew up listening to heartbreak stories from my cousins who used to live with us in our old house way back in the alps of Tabug... I saw them cry and how they hearts did break... until I never entered one relationship and I myself, became one of the average advisers of heartbroken friends...


I thought I always knew how to handle relationships, that I even thought I knew how to flatter guys enough to make them fall but FLATTERY is not all that matters... 'coz no matter how sweet you are to a guy, he will still definitely fall out of love...because HE IS A GUY


I have been into one hell of a relationship and I only got 1% NO MORE TEARS Guarantee when I entered it. And, honestly it was really ONE PERCENT. Until I learned how to rid myself from flooding my room with tears..

Here's my ONE AND ONLY ingredient for a 99% NO MORE TEARS FORMULA IN RELATIONSHIPS
"NEVER TRUST BECAUSE YOU LOVE BUT LOVE BECAUSE YOU TRUST"

Definitely! Exactly! Precisely! Absolutely!

A relationship is like an umbrella, LOVE as the shelter and TRUST as the shaft...
Once one is out, it will no longer be an umbrella. It's not just LOVE but I believe that TRUST is the SOLE FOUNDATION of a romantic relationship, and once that it is gone, it will be difficult to work things out.

Once a guy gives his motives, check him out first... there's no rush in getting a boyfriend. Even though you kinda like the guy, you have to take extra precautions and know his every single angle of actions. If your instincts say you have to trust the guy, then trust him but don't love yet. If he deliberately breaks your trust, it means he'll definitely break your love.

DELUBYO NG PEBRERO

Ang mga damo'y tila nakayuko
Sa mga burol na nanlulumo
Ang hangin ay tinulak ang ulap
Na tinago ang araw na wala nang andap
Ang langit ay huminga ng malalim
At pinakawalan ang kidlat na matalim
Dagundong ng kulog ang hagulgol
Sa damdamin ng pusong nasapol
At pumatak na ang ulan sa malungkot na kalangitan
Habang ang bahang dugo ay hihimlay sa karagatan
Ang bundok ay gumuguho
Ang bulkan ay bumubugso
Upang idura ang nagliliyab nitong "lava"
Na malapit nang mamuong ginintuang "magma"
Lahat ay sabay sabay sa pagkaganap
Ang delubyo sa katorse ng pebrero
Minsan na akong sinabihan
Di naniwala hanggang naganap ang kapalaran

THE SWEETEST INSECT

Date: 12-26-08
No.:4
Title: The Sweetest Insect

In the garden as I ponder
I saw insects that wander
Fly from flower to flower
Hop the leaves and under

Then I begin to wonder which among is sweet
Is it the QUEEN BEE along with its fleet?
Is it the industrious and with its platoon?
or the "Caterpie" within the cocoon?

The queen bee mandates its fleet
To make royal jelly and the eternal sweet
But does it make them sweet at all?
When its men after the sweet, they fall?

Is it the royal ants then?
of which nature's and man's sweet they have stolen?
Does it make them sweet when they are easily blown?
And in a pool of sweet they drown?

Aye! these two royalties are no sweet!
For they only know what's "outside" sweet
They smell but they don't see beauty
Not like the sweetest insect I know which flies freely

It has gay colors and knows which is beauty
By flying to-and-fro crowns of royalty
It digs for inner radiance
As it sips the sweet all at once

It is the sweetest I have seen
For beauty it sees from within
"Catterpie" into a "Butterfree"
That's why it's "butterflies on our tummy"

FADED MEMOIRS

Date: 12-09-08
No.: 3
Title: Faded Memoirs

I dug for a bone but found none
Remembering where I buried but now gone
Got a shovel but of size one
Will I ever see even just a fungous bun?

Sitting on a swing chair on the porch
Everything pitch black except by the torch
Like a butterfly I drew near and got scorched
Fell to the floor and thumped by a horse

I knew I had to dig a hole
And be brave like a bull
Forget and no longer reminisce
The conglomeration of joy and pain i have finished

Hell and heaven, it's their conspiracy
For me to act human and love should I see
Experience the world's great wonder
And feel the chill as I ponder

But the subject crawls no more
As my spine loses its intense amour
Towards the one that made me feel glamor
And made me feel protected in an armor

I used to see through a crystal window
However no more due to eternal dew
I used to feel like a condemned widow
But faded memoirs made me feel anew

Romantic Dilemna

Date: 12-08-08
No.: 2
Title: Romantic Dilemma

The sweet aroma of petals fills my nostrils,
As your gentle ways give me the thrills.
Your words caress my fragile heart
Like you're a being that would not hurt.

A deafening pitch of sound broke the rhythm of my recall
Like a window glass hit by a baseball.
As my hand bleed when I picked the broken glass together,
And remember I am committed with another.

Should I or should I not?
Loosen or tighten the knot?
Would I or would not I?
Think of them, or we, or just I?

THE GIGGLED FIRSTS

It's exactly 6:03am, 15th of December year 2008 - a heart throbbing Monday morning. my phone beeped and as I checked it, my palms sweat to the thrill and excitement of "the first eye contact"...
He was checking on where I already am. I was just a couple of minutes away from the terminal then.

We were supposed to meet at around 8 o'clock in the morning. We did not own our time. my mom has me 10 o'clock onwards and his work has him at around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. It would be our first meeting, and it feels kind of awkward. But all the tipsy acts won't work this time, we only have barely one and a half hour.

"i am already infront of Chiradees". he sent through short messaging.

"where's that? i'm going downstairs already, i am at the fifth floor" . I was in my mom's office, she left me in the room as I told her i have a date after our breakfast. And so I walked down the stairs, taking some time to think instead of taking the elevator. As I took my last step on the ground floor , I checked around me to see if "he" was around... I only saw the guard. Then my phone beeped:

"in front of marie jack"

I recall a "marie jack canteen" on my way to mom's office. It was one of the "eatery", "carinderia" and "canteens" that line in front of the mariano marcos state university liason office and the national tobacco administration building, where my mom is. I sweeped my sight on the eateries along scout reyes but found no one until I saw a man in green shirt with an emo print, in a dark blue cap - with an emo print again, gray checkered shorts, black socks, black and-white checkerboard designed sneakers carrying a big silky bag with incomprehensible prints from afar.

"are you wearing a green shirt?". I replied


"hehe.." he said

"nahihiya akong lumapit" I told him

"asan ka ba?" he asked

"Ludy's...hehe" I replied as I saw a certain "Ludy's carinderia" across the road. Then I stepped upfront and we met halfway...:D

...to be continued...
"THE BANANA DATE"

NOSTALGIC EUPHORIA

Silence surrounds my solitude
As the distant past beckons
Nostalgia seeps deep down my bones
When memoirs fill up the latitude

'Twas when the falcon soared up to heaven
And fell for the voice of an angel
The sky met earth, that was when
'Til heaven bound with hell as well

'Twas the most outstanding emotion felt
When an angel's heart, the falcon did melt
"Euphoria in Utopia", That's how it was
Great as it was, but now just a past

The Stages of Grieving

according to Kubler-Ross, there are actually 5 stages of grieving in which we summarize as DABDA -Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance...

Well, based on how i have been through things in my life, this is what actually happens. And as I go through another catastrophe in my life, I would follow these stages... as I deny that I have not broken up with him... until I have accepted it...Where am I?

Denial

Am I at this stage? Have I said this? "No, we're still together... we just had a little fight and I know we can fix it. We'll be fine"

Anger

Or am I at this stage? Have I said this? "Damn him! He cheated on me! How could he do this? He's such a jerk!" until I have said "I am done with you! We're over!"

Bargaining

Or am I asking for alternatives? "God, please give him back to me... I have not been thinking about what I have said and of what I have done...", like as if I am hoping we'll be back together so I would do all the things, all the ways I could so we could be together again...

Depression

Or have I run short of alternatives or my alternatives did not work such that I feel so hopeless... that I feel so much deeply in despair? saying "I wanna feel numb, I wanna die, I'm broken"

Acceptance

Or have I accepted the fact that we're done? "I am moving on"...


-----

i want to add a stage to Kubler-Ross's stages... "REBOUND DEPRESSION"... when I have accepted that we're done... and now I feel hopeless of moving on... like I can no longer find ways to be happy... i dunno... maybe this is "TRANSITORY DEPRESSION" from being depressed of the real thing to being depressed of how to accept things...

I know I am such a fool to be crying over some guy who's not really worthy of the love i have for him...I have loved too much, trusted too much...now it's so difficult to accept things...

now, i have to find ways of fixing myself...i have to fix myself...i must fix myself...right NOW!

the IRONY of my Name

does your name matter to you? do you find it beautiful as it sounds pretty? or do you find it so wonderful as it actually has its own awesome meaning?

so tell me, what does your name mean?

my name is Eunice Aimee. do you know what it means?

Eunice means "happily victorious" in Greek terminologies, and it means "assured faith" from the languages of the Holy Bible and Aimee means "beloved" in the French.

my parents said that I was named after the mother of Timothy in the Bible, and that they picked Eunice as my dad wanted us, his children, to have our names start with a letter "E".

I just learned what it actually meant when I saw this vintage book my parents used when they were naming us. It is entitled "What shall we name the baby?" by Winthrop Ames.



Isn't Ironic that I am called Eunice when I am not happy? I am not even as victorious as what my name imply? Isn't it so stupid to even think that it meant "assured faith" when I have these points in my life that I have doubted Him? And so it's very ironic that it meant "beloved" when I don't even feel so loved...

I guess it only meant one thing... I should live according to my name then rather than indulging in the beauty of what it is not...

like the negative part of the picture looks better than when it is not. but it is still better to live as I am than pretend to be someone so perfect just to try what is ideal.

Sonnet of the Fragile

Oh heavens, i am a damsel in distress
For I have been gullible to the tricks of a lord
as he showed me great magic, not the less
great courage and strength as he proved he is bold

On a duel he won my smile
By the crowd he earned lots of praise
He traveled an extra mile
To have my heart and take me from my base

Bold as he is but wicked in nature
Treated me as trophy just for display
Trust and love for us he did never nurture
Even when his whims and caprices I did obey

I dreamt too high and believed too much
Now I am broken just because of a hunch

free me from being solitary

i was walking down an isle of darkness
i was happy as i glided with finesse
like a doe, i hopped through and through
'til i saw a light out of the blue
enticing as it was
i raced myself to it fast
but the pitch black gap was vast
that it faded before i reach it at last
i was happy alone in the dark
but the light gave my existence a spark
that made me look for it wherever it may be
probably, from being a soledad i wanted to be free

Good Luck and God's Love

Good Luck is something that most people hold on to when they have nothing with them to defend their rotting souls from getting rotten...

Is there such a thing like "luck" itself? Or is there anything that brings it? Or, isn't it that we are the only ones who could bring it to ourselves? Or is there a supreme being that actually controls the entire show of life to the point that each of us has his own role - to be either a protagonist or an antagonist, the one who succeeds or the one who fails? Does luck come without prerequisites? Or does it only stick to a blessed few?

A lot of people stick to the connotation of luck in almost everything that goes along with success and failure. If one fails, then probably luck is not with him.

The idea of luck originated in Indochina and most of its concepts came from China's "Yin Yang." Others came from Europe where there is polytheism. It believed that good luck comes when specific orders from gods are accomplished according to the will of a specific god. Along with these, it was believed that the use of some artifacts such as gems and stones that belonged to or is blessed by these gods would bring good luck.

Some people would say luck comes along with one's own knowledge of the path he tackles. He has to be an expert to be successful. It does makes sense.

But a point was raised that luck has stuck into these intellectual individuals such that they have the knowledge to excel in their own fields. It also makes sense to those who believe in luck.

But I... I believe in God's Lock...

God's Lock on the other hand is a promise that goes with those who believe wholly in him and the trinity.

Some people would question of its existence and feasibility. But experience tells, the lock exists. And for someone who have read the entire bible, it is constantly repeated to inculcate God's love for humanity.

Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

Put yourself now in a right relation with him and be at peace: so will you do well in your undertakings

Job 22:21

And so, we don not need the pearls, the gems, the artifacts to do well, we only need to please God and have faith in Him.

In the testaments, it read the stories of Abraham and his descendants and the adventures of David. The bible constantly revealed that the people who actually did according to His will were blessed and have succeeded in the paths they took and those who failed to please him suffered. It applies to all, until now.

God is really so loving that he has promised to fulfill our prayers.

You might disagree. Probably, your prayers were not granted.

The reason, you may ask - you were not delightful before His very eyes, you did not have faith in Him.

And Jesus, answering, said to them, Have God's faith. Truly I say to you, Whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and be put into the sea; and has no doubt in his heart, but has faith that what he says will come about, he will have his desire. For this reason I say to you, Whatever you make a request for in prayer, have faith that it has been given to you, and you will have it.

Mark 11:21-24

I am one of the thousands who would testify, that God has granted my prayers... not just because I did good but I had faith in God's Lock.

alone

feeling alone without you
feeling so drowned in the paradise of dew

wastin' my time...

i dunno what came up to my mind... i just picked up the oslo, the pencil, the pen and the crayons... and then i just knew i was actually sketching a framework using my pencil and voila! i've got a sexy figure in front of me! ^_^"