Amie's Meme

Amie tagged me. Woh! I didn't know if it was really me so I had to check the link to make sure it went to my page. Hahah! Strange when only K and maybe, maybe Amie read my blog. Anyway...

1) What are the things you enjoy doing even when there's no one around you?

Hmmm. This makes me think. I like reading while eating loads of mangoes from Lidle. Hmm, I can't think of anything else but this is what I always do when K is at work and I'm on my own, so I guess this is the thing I enjoy doing.

2. What lowers your stress/blood pressure/anxiety level?

When K massages me at bedtime. He thinks I become pathetic when I get ready for bed, which is an indirect way of asking him for massage. Now that I'm pregnant, I have all the reasons to claim for 'my right to be massaged' because it's stressful to be pregnant isn't it??? Well, K's only got 6 months of nightly massage to do, and a few weeks after I give birth, so I think it's not that bad, is it?

3. Tag 5 friends and ask them to post it in theirs.

Hahahaha, I only read Amie's blog and since she tagged me, that means I can't tag her anymore. This Meme thing will stop with me I suppose.

Back to Surigao 2

There is no pangat anywhere else in the world except in the Philippines, particularly in Surigao. It’s vegetable, mind you, cooked in liters of coconut oil, and a wee bit of commercial oil.

I was in Surigao for 5 days and I ate Pangat the second day but by god, how could I enjoy a salty dose of oil-lathered pangat when there was no left-over rice?? And when I say left-over rice, it means, a-day-old rice. Pangat can only be enjoyed with old rice, or dry and cold cooked banana minus the presence of other savoury food like buyad, lechon, and sinugba.

So there I was, ready to gobble all the surigaonon food that I missed for over 2 years only to be mesmerised by their holy presence that I couldn’t eat them, or better yet, that I couldn’t enjoy them. It was all the questions as well. Everytime I open my mouth to venerate the taste of sinugba na isda dipped in real, and I mean real vinegar (not the Balsamic variety with soy sauce in it) a question is thrown at me like old cheese: So, do you work there Soy? (meaning, how much do you earn in pesos?). So I answer the question, while secretly wishing, oh, go to hell all of you, and while you’re there, wash your dirty laundry in a fiery river so I can enjoy the taste of this burnt sinugba.

I just wanted to eat there. That pangat. Oh, I wanted it so bad I could give up my stomach for it, but no, there was another question: What do you usually eat in England, soy? And there I was, chewing the leafy gabi, inhaling the salty and oily taste while being reminded that, shite, I eat mashed potato sprinkled with milk and slathered with butter, and er… yes, I do enjoy it.

Back to Surigao 1

We're back. A few days ago. It wasn't that bad as I thought it was but the travelling was very stressful. The bulk of our time in the Philippines was spent on boats, planes, and taxis. But it was nice to see all my family and friends. There was one lesson I learned though. Next time I go back there, I will shop first!

Home away from home...

We're going back to the Philippines in 2 days but I don't feel excited. i am anxious, terrified, and stressed.

: Will the trains and tube in London be safe for us family to travel?
: Is the weather ok for the planes to Qatar and Cebu and for the boat to Surigao?
: Will there still be dengue-carrying mosquitoes in the Philippines?
: I will see my big family and loads of friends within 4 days. Will I cope?
: I left the Philippines when my Nanay and Papa were still alive. I'm going back to see their graves. Will I be able to cope?
: We're going there to sort out some problems with the family business. Are we going to be successful?


And most importantly: Would one suitcase of chocolates as pasalubong be enough for everybody?

72

It's mum's 72nd birthday. We had a little party and it was fun although zak spent the whole time eating the cake and reading his book to everybody.

I don't know what to expect

Tonight, we're going to Stainsby Festival. I'm familiar with only one folk musician in the line-up, Vin Garbutt, whose music we kept on playing when I was pregnant with Zak. It's a 3-day event and Vin Garbutt, who I'm hoping to see perform live, will perform on the last night! So I guess I'll just be staying in the tent with Zak for two whole days. I hope it will rain...

Anyway, I'm looking forward to visiting the Philippines for a week. I can't be away too long because of work but this i'm sure is going to be exciting. My brothers and sisters there don't know this yet as I plan to just appear in their doorstep without warning. Karl is thinking of going with me as he missed all the fresh foods but we have to wait and see if he really should. He has loads of 'things to do' waiting at his desk and it would be overwhelming to come back with the list doubled.

We'll see.