L.C. Clark's Blog, page 17
November 1, 2015
The Cost of Being Filipino Abroad
From: socalpain.com When I arrived in the US I tried all the American fruits that were not available in the Philippines. We have our Baguio strawberries and China grapes and apples so let’s exclude those. I liked cherry and grapefruit because it’s similar to suha. The berries (blueberry, blackberry and raspberry) I liked a little. After a few months I’ve had enough of them. I started craving for the Philippine fruits. Here’s what I found.
I have no idea how much atis cost in Manila right now but here in California three pieces of atis cost $4.99+tax=5.15 X current dollar rate of 46.79 is approximately PHP240.00.
I liked none of the American vegetables like zucchini, asparagus, etc. except for lettuce. I go to the Asian store to get talong even if there are US and Mexican eggplants available in the supermarkets. Talong cost $1.49 plus tax equals PHP77.20 a pound X 2.20 = PHP169.84 actual cost per kilo.
Kangkong costs $$1.95 plus tax equals PHP100.59 a pound X 2.20 = PHP221.30 actual cost per kilo.
Halaan (Manila Clam) cost $4.99 plus tax is approximately PHP240.00 per pound X 2.20 = actual cost per kilo PHP528.00. That price include the scale heavy shells. That makes the halaan swam soup outrageous expensive!
American salt is manufactured salt. The Philippine salt is sea salt which is better for health reasons. Sea salt from Pangasinan cost $1.99 plus tax = PHP101.00 a pound X 2.20 actual cost per kilo is PHP222.20.
Headless shrimp is available in American supermarkets. However, I find the shrimp heads taste better than the most expensive lobster. Shrimp with head cost between $6.99 to 8.99 a pound, depending on the size. That’s not even sugpo, that’s just shrimp. It would cost about $7.50 to 9.50 (PHP444.00) with tax = actual cost per kilo is PHP977.91 
There are different kinds of vinegar here such as Red Wine vinegar, Cider vinegar, Balsamic, etc. However, for reasons I can’t explain, I still feel safer with the Philippine Datu Puti which cost $.99 plus tax would be approximately $1.10=PHP51.46.I charge all these to the cost of being a Filipino abroad.
See also:
If You are Out of...
The Smart Addict
Cord-Cutting
October 26, 2015
In Fitness and in Health
When I was thirty five years old I was diagnosed to be borderline diabetic. I was prescribed a pill. I researched the condition and found out I didn’t need the medicine. I was not diabetic just on the verge of being one. What I needed to do was cut down on rice to a cup per meal and exercise.
It was mid 80’s and the gym business was booming in Las Pinas. Membership in a gym has become a status symbol. It meant you have money to spare. The biggest market was the bored housewives from the gated communities. I walked into one.
I was not over the weight limit for my height so the instructor asked me which part of my body I wanted to build up and which I wanted to trim down. I replied I wanted to keep my upper arms, legs, thighs and tummy tight. He took me to the equipment that would help me accomplish my goals. He taught me how to use them. I needed to do only sixty counts each exercise. The warm up was sit-ups which flattened my tummy and twists with a stick which trimmed my waist.
From www.fitdaily.com I did three minutes on stationary bike to strengthen the heart, something my Cardiologist later confirmed. He gave me some weight exercises that would take the fat off my back, straighten my posture, and build up what little boobs I got. Another weight equipment was for my legs and thighs.
From personalfitnessequipmentblog.com I settled down to a routine of three hours, three times a week. I was not overweight so I didn’t really lose any but I got tight and got more than I bargained for. My boobs seemed to have increased in size. My legs and thighs got better shape. After six months I quit the gym. I bought a pair of dumbbells and leg weights that could simulate at home what the gym equipment were doing for me.
From: ns-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com I got a disc for waist twist.
From: ecx.images-amazon.com Instead of three hours, three times a week I shortened it to 60 counts each exercise, in all, a total of 10 minutes a day. Ten minutes a day is not too much to ask. I continued the routine at home for 30 years.
Now I'm in my 60’s. I am still tight and fit. I have retained my weight and figure. What’s more I am still not diabetic. That’s one border I haven’t crossed. Those 3 months of gym membership was sure worth every penny.
See also:
Eat Bulaga's FHHM - The Equalizer 2
High School Girls
It was mid 80’s and the gym business was booming in Las Pinas. Membership in a gym has become a status symbol. It meant you have money to spare. The biggest market was the bored housewives from the gated communities. I walked into one.
I was not over the weight limit for my height so the instructor asked me which part of my body I wanted to build up and which I wanted to trim down. I replied I wanted to keep my upper arms, legs, thighs and tummy tight. He took me to the equipment that would help me accomplish my goals. He taught me how to use them. I needed to do only sixty counts each exercise. The warm up was sit-ups which flattened my tummy and twists with a stick which trimmed my waist.
From www.fitdaily.com I did three minutes on stationary bike to strengthen the heart, something my Cardiologist later confirmed. He gave me some weight exercises that would take the fat off my back, straighten my posture, and build up what little boobs I got. Another weight equipment was for my legs and thighs. 
From personalfitnessequipmentblog.com I settled down to a routine of three hours, three times a week. I was not overweight so I didn’t really lose any but I got tight and got more than I bargained for. My boobs seemed to have increased in size. My legs and thighs got better shape. After six months I quit the gym. I bought a pair of dumbbells and leg weights that could simulate at home what the gym equipment were doing for me.
From: ns-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com I got a disc for waist twist.
From: ecx.images-amazon.com Instead of three hours, three times a week I shortened it to 60 counts each exercise, in all, a total of 10 minutes a day. Ten minutes a day is not too much to ask. I continued the routine at home for 30 years. Now I'm in my 60’s. I am still tight and fit. I have retained my weight and figure. What’s more I am still not diabetic. That’s one border I haven’t crossed. Those 3 months of gym membership was sure worth every penny.
See also:
Eat Bulaga's FHHM - The Equalizer 2
High School Girls
October 18, 2015
If You are Out of...
From: theeasymarket.com If you’re out of mayonnaise or allergic to mayo because of the egg content use Ranch or Caesar salad dressing on tuna, BLT or any deli sandwich. I am not a fan of mayo myself. I find the salad dressing gives more flavor to the vegetables in the sandwich. 
From: walmartimages.com If you have ants in the house but you’re out of insecticides, try wiping the places where ants pass with Johnson Floor Wax, Pledge, Lysol wipes or spray. Even glass cleaner spray would work. All of those don’t have the harsh chemicals in insecticides that could be harmful to humans.
From: thisweekfordinner.com Fresh tomatoes can't be stored in the fridge too long. If you see your tomatoes are about to spoil wash, chop and freeze in a plastic container. If you are out of fresh tomatoes but get canned tomato from Brown Bag you can use the canned tomato for Filipino food like ginisa or sinigang or sarciado. Put what’s left in the can in a plastic container and keep in the freezer for future use. If you are out of bread crumbs for fried chicken and you got potato chips laying around, enfold a few pieces in wax paper or paper towel. Crush the chips with rolling pin or any glass jar. The chips don’t have to be finely ground. It will add flavor to the chicken.
If you’re out of croutons but have a loaf of bread that’s about to spoil, make your own croutons with left over bread. Mince some garlic and put them in a microwaveable dish with butter, let the butter boil. Then put the garlic butter in bread and toast the bread in a toaster or a stove top oven. Cut the toasted garlic bread in the size of regular croutons. Keep the left over croutons in a Ziploc bag, with paper towel to absorb moisture, for future use. The bread will stay a lot longer because it has been cooked dry.
See also:Household Thrift Tips Thrift Tips Part 2
The Lunchbox
October 12, 2015
The Smart Addict
The addictive personality is not easy to detect. Addiction is usually hidden, defended as normal, or justified as mere recreation. Becky has an addictive personality but she’s too stingy to gamble and too smart to do drugs.
From: www.coca-colacompany.com
She was addicted to cola drinks from the time she was weaned from infant formula. When the diet soda arrived, she switched to diet because she cared about her figure. She was addicted to food but she worked out relentlessly, again because she cared about how she looked in a swimsuit. She was a workaholic but again too stingy to be a shopaholic.
When she reached 17, she started drinking beer socially. She couldn’t drink alone and she didn’t have money to buy beer for the whole gang so alcohol was limited. (The Philippines is not as strict as the US about serving beer to a minor.)
Years later, she got done with school and got a job. She was able to afford drinking. She did the Makati bars with friends, upgrading from beer to Frozen Margarita, Screw Driver or Stolichnaya and Tonic.
From: magicbulletblog.com
When the budget was short she brought a miniature bottle of Rum in her purse, ordered diet coke and poured the rum in her glass while the waiter was not looking. That’s Rum Coke right there!
www.bronzebudgetbride.comOr she brought a miniature bottle of vodka and ordered orange juice. Then she’s got a concocted Screw Driver.
Becky was addicted to boys too but she was too proud to buy one and too feisty to be easy. Her love affairs were passionate but short. Now, at middle age, she’s still addictive. However, the boys have turned into men and to her, thirty is over aged. Nights out are no longer an option and drinking makes her physically sick. She’s still into diet soda and keeps the stash under the living room couch, what the fridge can not accommodate. Being a senior citizen, she has retired. A workaholic without a job to do is like torture. It’s too late to turn shopaholic now because without a job there’s no money to splurge with.
Now a days, she’s addicted to celebrity love teams and write romance e-books. They take her back to all the loves she lost along the way.
See also:A Filipina Called Yaya DubThe Shallowness of Youth Soda Addiction
From: www.coca-colacompany.comShe was addicted to cola drinks from the time she was weaned from infant formula. When the diet soda arrived, she switched to diet because she cared about her figure. She was addicted to food but she worked out relentlessly, again because she cared about how she looked in a swimsuit. She was a workaholic but again too stingy to be a shopaholic.
When she reached 17, she started drinking beer socially. She couldn’t drink alone and she didn’t have money to buy beer for the whole gang so alcohol was limited. (The Philippines is not as strict as the US about serving beer to a minor.)
Years later, she got done with school and got a job. She was able to afford drinking. She did the Makati bars with friends, upgrading from beer to Frozen Margarita, Screw Driver or Stolichnaya and Tonic.
From: magicbulletblog.comWhen the budget was short she brought a miniature bottle of Rum in her purse, ordered diet coke and poured the rum in her glass while the waiter was not looking. That’s Rum Coke right there!
www.bronzebudgetbride.comOr she brought a miniature bottle of vodka and ordered orange juice. Then she’s got a concocted Screw Driver. Becky was addicted to boys too but she was too proud to buy one and too feisty to be easy. Her love affairs were passionate but short. Now, at middle age, she’s still addictive. However, the boys have turned into men and to her, thirty is over aged. Nights out are no longer an option and drinking makes her physically sick. She’s still into diet soda and keeps the stash under the living room couch, what the fridge can not accommodate. Being a senior citizen, she has retired. A workaholic without a job to do is like torture. It’s too late to turn shopaholic now because without a job there’s no money to splurge with.
Now a days, she’s addicted to celebrity love teams and write romance e-books. They take her back to all the loves she lost along the way.
See also:A Filipina Called Yaya DubThe Shallowness of Youth Soda Addiction
October 5, 2015
A Filipina Called Yaya Dub
Leave it to the Filipino to make the most use of technology like no other. The Philippines was called the text capital of the world as soon as the cellphone providers launched phone texting. According to Wikipedia “The largest average usage of the service by mobile phone subscribers is in the Philippines...”
Dubsmash is a video messaging application for iOS and Android where users can choose an audio recording of a famous quote or song from a list and do a lip sync video of themselves. It was launched in November 19, 2014. A Filipina, Maine Mendoza earned the title "Queen of Dubsmash" in the Philippines for a compilation of Kris Aquino impersonation that went viral with one million views overnight. (Coconuts Manila)
A few months later, in July, 2015, Eat Bulaga cast Maine Mendoza as Yaya Dub, an old woman’s nanny in the KalyeSerye “Utilizing her Dubsmash popularity, Mendoza only communicates in the series through vocal dubbing and does not actually speak.” (Kalyeserye, Wikipedia) The ‘Aldub’ loveteam was born when the initially snobbish Yaya Dub broke character when she reacted with obvious personal interest in Alden Richards whom she saw only on the show's live split screen. Due to public demand, the short segment started to stretch. It now occupies 40 to 1 hour of the Eat Bulaga show inspiring the writers to come up with a suspenseful daily episode which included a secret diary stolen, two kidnappings, two interrupted church weddings, one car crash, and an obstacle course for dating between young lovers on the threshold of everybody’s dream romance.
From: What's a Geek The Aldub young lovers’ first meeting in person on September 5, trended in Twitter with 5.8 million rising to 25 million by September 26 where the couple finally dated, earning the right to be portrayed in Cosplay Manila 2015. The audience reaction to Yaya Dub is phenomenal. Maine Mendoza has 1.9 million personal followers in Twitter and 1.3 million followers in Instagram.
NEWSBREAK: It has been confirmed that Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza will be in the next Metro Manila Film Festival entry titled My Bebe Love. If the theaters opened the ticket sale for this upcoming movie today it would pre-sell millions easily.
From: www.todayinmanila.com Ground breaking, barrier busting, endearing Maine Mendoza, a.k.a. Yaya Dub is the Filipina now. Aren’t we all proud of her? I am.
See also:Eat Bulaga - The Nation's EqualizerA Dabarkad Miss World Phil.Eat Bulaga Scholarship
Dubsmash is a video messaging application for iOS and Android where users can choose an audio recording of a famous quote or song from a list and do a lip sync video of themselves. It was launched in November 19, 2014. A Filipina, Maine Mendoza earned the title "Queen of Dubsmash" in the Philippines for a compilation of Kris Aquino impersonation that went viral with one million views overnight. (Coconuts Manila)
A few months later, in July, 2015, Eat Bulaga cast Maine Mendoza as Yaya Dub, an old woman’s nanny in the KalyeSerye “Utilizing her Dubsmash popularity, Mendoza only communicates in the series through vocal dubbing and does not actually speak.” (Kalyeserye, Wikipedia) The ‘Aldub’ loveteam was born when the initially snobbish Yaya Dub broke character when she reacted with obvious personal interest in Alden Richards whom she saw only on the show's live split screen. Due to public demand, the short segment started to stretch. It now occupies 40 to 1 hour of the Eat Bulaga show inspiring the writers to come up with a suspenseful daily episode which included a secret diary stolen, two kidnappings, two interrupted church weddings, one car crash, and an obstacle course for dating between young lovers on the threshold of everybody’s dream romance.
From: What's a Geek The Aldub young lovers’ first meeting in person on September 5, trended in Twitter with 5.8 million rising to 25 million by September 26 where the couple finally dated, earning the right to be portrayed in Cosplay Manila 2015. The audience reaction to Yaya Dub is phenomenal. Maine Mendoza has 1.9 million personal followers in Twitter and 1.3 million followers in Instagram. NEWSBREAK: It has been confirmed that Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza will be in the next Metro Manila Film Festival entry titled My Bebe Love. If the theaters opened the ticket sale for this upcoming movie today it would pre-sell millions easily.
From: www.todayinmanila.com Ground breaking, barrier busting, endearing Maine Mendoza, a.k.a. Yaya Dub is the Filipina now. Aren’t we all proud of her? I am. See also:Eat Bulaga - The Nation's EqualizerA Dabarkad Miss World Phil.Eat Bulaga Scholarship
September 26, 2015
Cord-Cutting
“According to a new survey … data show that the so-called "cord-cutting" phenomenon — where consumers jettison traditional cable and satellite packages in favor of streaming services… Half of respondents said they were satisfied with online streaming options like Netflix and Hulu, while 30 percent said pay TV was too expensive.” (NBC News) More and more people are cost cutting by cancelling their cable television service. My family is one of them and it’s good to know we’re not alone.
When I was in Makati City, Philippines I had a cable TV provider that gave us very bad reception. We waited a couple of months to see if it will get better before we complained. When I called for service no one came to do anything. I had the cable TV cancelled. When I got to talk to a neighbor ‘standby’ by chance and mentioned my cancellation, the boy offered to reconnect my cable for free, just for friendship’s sake and I won’t have to pay the cable company monthly. Amazingly the boy did give me cable TV back with absolutely perfect reception, something the cable company was not willing to do for me. In gratitude I gifted the boy with PHP300, he wasn’t even asking for.
In Louisville, Kentucky I had Insight cable TV. Insight gave me basic channels for $20 a month. Their basic contract came with History, Comedy, Discovery, Showtime, Lifetime, no HBO but all local channels, etc. I was happy with Insight. Then the company was bought by Time Warner and changed the name to Time Warner Cable. Now I see the basic cost $29.99.
When I moved to California, I got Xfinity which offered basic at $49.99. The basic channels that I got had so many Spanish channels but I don’t speak Spanish and except HBO, none of the channels mentioned above. I am guessing the Latino community got all the English channels. The probable reason is so that the customer would upgrade from basic to get more channels in their language.
My daughter and I decided to let the cable TV go. Since we have Hulu and Netflix we still catch our favorite shows just a day late. As for the Filipino channel we couldn’t afford on top of the cable TV cost, I find my ALDUB updates in YouTube and GMA TV streaming. Like the American cable TV shows, I get it later than broadcast date, but let me tell you, the ALDUB thrill is the same whatever day you watch it.
See also:The Standbys of Makati Educating Mom – Hulu and Netflix The Newsroom to a Filipina 1
When I was in Makati City, Philippines I had a cable TV provider that gave us very bad reception. We waited a couple of months to see if it will get better before we complained. When I called for service no one came to do anything. I had the cable TV cancelled. When I got to talk to a neighbor ‘standby’ by chance and mentioned my cancellation, the boy offered to reconnect my cable for free, just for friendship’s sake and I won’t have to pay the cable company monthly. Amazingly the boy did give me cable TV back with absolutely perfect reception, something the cable company was not willing to do for me. In gratitude I gifted the boy with PHP300, he wasn’t even asking for.
In Louisville, Kentucky I had Insight cable TV. Insight gave me basic channels for $20 a month. Their basic contract came with History, Comedy, Discovery, Showtime, Lifetime, no HBO but all local channels, etc. I was happy with Insight. Then the company was bought by Time Warner and changed the name to Time Warner Cable. Now I see the basic cost $29.99.
When I moved to California, I got Xfinity which offered basic at $49.99. The basic channels that I got had so many Spanish channels but I don’t speak Spanish and except HBO, none of the channels mentioned above. I am guessing the Latino community got all the English channels. The probable reason is so that the customer would upgrade from basic to get more channels in their language.
My daughter and I decided to let the cable TV go. Since we have Hulu and Netflix we still catch our favorite shows just a day late. As for the Filipino channel we couldn’t afford on top of the cable TV cost, I find my ALDUB updates in YouTube and GMA TV streaming. Like the American cable TV shows, I get it later than broadcast date, but let me tell you, the ALDUB thrill is the same whatever day you watch it.
See also:The Standbys of Makati Educating Mom – Hulu and Netflix The Newsroom to a Filipina 1
September 20, 2015
The Gunman as a Father
Neorojo at 2 years old No one knew how and when the Gunman taught his son, Neorojo this trick. The baby, at barely a year old, screamed out loud every time the jeep or bus passed under a bridge or through a tunnel. It startled the driver and other passengers because the baby was angelically silent till that very moment. In 1972, there were soldiers at check points in addition to the regular traffic police. Another trick the Gunman had taught his baby boy was to point his finger and yell “Bang!” at every man in uniform they passed along the way. It amazed the other passengers that the beautiful baby with light brown hair and big toothy smile shoots soldiers with his little chubby finger. Becky and The Gunman would pretend not to notice. They didn’t want the strangers around them to start wondering who would teach a baby to recognize soldiers and shoot them on site.
The Gunman used to wistfully say “someday Neorojo will ride a white horse and liberate the country then he will move into Malacanang Palace and rule the nation.” That may not make sense to the current generation but to the 21 year old Gunman and his wife in the 70's their son deserved nothing less.
One day the Gunman came home and showed Becky a man’s clutch bag, something in fashion in 1972. It was full of cash. She has never seen so much cash in one place. She didn’t ask where the money came from and what it was for. She assumed the money belonged to the organization.
“I had a dream about this ring. The design is artistic and the gold is real heavy. I searched for it and I got it for you,” he said as he handed her a set of a gold ring and a pair earrings. The ring fit her perfectly. The earrings were the gypsy earrings he promised her in 1969.
“Drentz, get dressed I want to take you and Neorojo shopping.” The Gunman said the magic word that thrilled women all over the world. Becky scooped Neorojo off the floor to get dressed to go. The Gunman smoked while he waited.
From: www.thisnext.com The first destination was the department stores in downtown Manila. They entered the best ones, SM Department Store, GoodEarth Emporium, etc. The Gunman picked the nicest skirts and tops for Becky, along with two pairs of shoes and a couple of purses. For Neorojo he bought clothes, toys and a red mustang tyke car, setting the bar high for the child's pampering. See also:The Gunman’s Son The Gypsy Earrings Life Lessons from the Gunman
September 13, 2015
The Barkada Mentality
We have friends we love more than others. We have relatives we love more than our siblings. These chosen friends and relatives have qualified for a category called barkada. Here in America there are Filipino communities one can join for a common interest. Despite the shared belief and goals not all members will be elevated to the level of barkada.
From: www.imdb.com The barkada mentality is the theme of movies like Stand By Me, The Hangover, Grown Ups, etc. Eat Bulaga, a noontime show in the Philippines, uses the word Dabarkads, the flipped version of barkada to refer to their hosts and followers.
When I was 10 years old, a very impressionable age, I used to hang out at the corner store with the teens called standbys. One day another teen came by with fresh bruised face. The standbys asked him ‘who did it’? Apparently he was bullied as he passed through another neighborhood. The standbys said “come on, let’s go back there”. I was amazed that the standbys were willing to get hurt in a fight not their own. That’s the barkada mentality. I was hooked for life.
How does one become worthy to be called barkada? If you have any one of these: envy, treachery, back stabbing, meddling, bragging, self-entitlement, seniority, crab mentality, you will be no one’s barkada.
Barkadas are cultivated. Just like a marriage, one works at it to stay compatible. One must know how to respect the other person’s boundaries as you do your own. Just because you are friends you can’t overstep your bounds.
Verbal, physical or emotional abuse happen between friends too. Emotional abuse is often used to manipulate the other person. Verbal or physical abuse like slapping, pinching or hair pulling could be done in jest. No kind of abuse is acceptable.
The happily married couples I know are those who were barkadas in their youth. No false pretenses, no exaggerated expectations, those couples knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They have emotional security in the knowledge that they are on the same side in every twist and turn of life. Those who have aged together are assured of having a barkada at home when hanging out is no longer an option.
I was the only girl in my family, with a father abroad and a mother who mostly stayed in her room, I grew up virtually alone. However, I had my cousins and neighbors who were my barkadas. When I got married I raised my children as my barkadas and I expect nothing more than to be treated as one.
See also:The Standbys of MakatiThe Standbys of Pasay A Dabarkad Miss World Phil.
From: www.imdb.com The barkada mentality is the theme of movies like Stand By Me, The Hangover, Grown Ups, etc. Eat Bulaga, a noontime show in the Philippines, uses the word Dabarkads, the flipped version of barkada to refer to their hosts and followers. When I was 10 years old, a very impressionable age, I used to hang out at the corner store with the teens called standbys. One day another teen came by with fresh bruised face. The standbys asked him ‘who did it’? Apparently he was bullied as he passed through another neighborhood. The standbys said “come on, let’s go back there”. I was amazed that the standbys were willing to get hurt in a fight not their own. That’s the barkada mentality. I was hooked for life.
How does one become worthy to be called barkada? If you have any one of these: envy, treachery, back stabbing, meddling, bragging, self-entitlement, seniority, crab mentality, you will be no one’s barkada.
Barkadas are cultivated. Just like a marriage, one works at it to stay compatible. One must know how to respect the other person’s boundaries as you do your own. Just because you are friends you can’t overstep your bounds.
Verbal, physical or emotional abuse happen between friends too. Emotional abuse is often used to manipulate the other person. Verbal or physical abuse like slapping, pinching or hair pulling could be done in jest. No kind of abuse is acceptable.
The happily married couples I know are those who were barkadas in their youth. No false pretenses, no exaggerated expectations, those couples knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They have emotional security in the knowledge that they are on the same side in every twist and turn of life. Those who have aged together are assured of having a barkada at home when hanging out is no longer an option.
I was the only girl in my family, with a father abroad and a mother who mostly stayed in her room, I grew up virtually alone. However, I had my cousins and neighbors who were my barkadas. When I got married I raised my children as my barkadas and I expect nothing more than to be treated as one.
See also:The Standbys of MakatiThe Standbys of Pasay A Dabarkad Miss World Phil.
September 7, 2015
The Lunchbox
There is no college course for motherhood. The profession is passed on from generation to generation shaped by culture, education, religious orientation, financial capacity and social status. While mothers do their best, each do things differently. Household management depends on the local norms, individual preference and available resources. All these affects the lunchbox.
Mothers with live-in maids could have the lunchbox delivered to the kid’s school at lunch break so that the rice and soup would arrive warm, the fruit fresh and the iced drink cool. Most mothers just give their child food allowance. The kid could pick anything they want from the dining hall but the child would have to know how to budget to make the money last for a week.
From the late 70’s to the 80’s, I was a working mom. I didn’t have time to work on the lunchbox. I made arrangements with the school dining hall management to give my three children credit and signing privileges. I didn’t have to worry about the cash or lunch delivery. They ordered what they wanted and signed on a list which I paid monthly. A credit card would have made things a lot easier but credit cards were not commonly used in the Philippines back then.
Now that I have retired, I have the time to do the lunchbox. My daughter writes down on the board hanging on the fridge door what she wants for lunch for each day of the week. There are salad days and then there are soup days. Rice comes with vegies every Friday.
I get fruits free from Brown Bag and thanks to YouTube I have learned to be creative with fruit presentation. I make her flowers made from strawberries or little balls made out of melon then sprinkle with Splenda. I make her cocktail drinks with fresh squeezed oranges mixed with Fresca (7Up or Sprite) just for the fizz. Sometimes I use a sachets of Snapple Ice Tea to go with blended (peeled) apple or pear.
I actually have fun doing the lunchbox. By the way my daughter is now 35 years old. Motherhood never ends.
See also:
The Brown Bag
Mother Said...
Mother Said …Part 2
Mothers with live-in maids could have the lunchbox delivered to the kid’s school at lunch break so that the rice and soup would arrive warm, the fruit fresh and the iced drink cool. Most mothers just give their child food allowance. The kid could pick anything they want from the dining hall but the child would have to know how to budget to make the money last for a week.
From the late 70’s to the 80’s, I was a working mom. I didn’t have time to work on the lunchbox. I made arrangements with the school dining hall management to give my three children credit and signing privileges. I didn’t have to worry about the cash or lunch delivery. They ordered what they wanted and signed on a list which I paid monthly. A credit card would have made things a lot easier but credit cards were not commonly used in the Philippines back then.
Now that I have retired, I have the time to do the lunchbox. My daughter writes down on the board hanging on the fridge door what she wants for lunch for each day of the week. There are salad days and then there are soup days. Rice comes with vegies every Friday.
I get fruits free from Brown Bag and thanks to YouTube I have learned to be creative with fruit presentation. I make her flowers made from strawberries or little balls made out of melon then sprinkle with Splenda. I make her cocktail drinks with fresh squeezed oranges mixed with Fresca (7Up or Sprite) just for the fizz. Sometimes I use a sachets of Snapple Ice Tea to go with blended (peeled) apple or pear. I actually have fun doing the lunchbox. By the way my daughter is now 35 years old. Motherhood never ends.
See also:
The Brown Bag
Mother Said...
Mother Said …Part 2
August 30, 2015
The Current Events
In the mid 50’s, the public elementary schools in Pasay City had a Current Events portion in a subject called Social Studies. Students were required to find an article in the newspaper and bring to class. They were asked to comment on the news they brought in. Most clipped out news about gruesome crimes and tragic calamities like flood, fire or earthquake. Those articles were easy to discuss and have the shock effect to grab the teacher’s attention. Grades depended on this.
One of the students, Susan, bored her teachers and classmates with articles about bills filed in the Senate or Congress and talked about how the bill would help or hurt the Filipinos should it pass into a law. She reported about corruption and incompetence in government. She didn't get good grades but she still did this from eight years old till she graduated at the age of twelve.
Sta. Ana Tenement From: www.panoramio.com In 1965, Susan was in high school. President Diosdado Macapagal was running for a second term. His opponent was President Ferdinand Marcos. She had nothing against the then Senate Pres. Marcos but from her Current Events reports she knew about the Tenement Housing Macapagal had built for the very poor. She thought the country needed more of those. She was too young to vote so she campaigned for Macapagal within the voting members of her family. President Marcos won that election. “Let every person be in subjection to the superior authorities, for there is no authority except by God; the existing authorities stand placed in their relative positions by God.” (Romans 13:1)
From: natoreyes.wordpress.com Four years later, by 1969, Susan found herself in the College of Arts and Science of the University of the Philippines, in Diliman, Quezon City. The youth of the world was in uproar back then. At the height of what people called “student unrest” she joined the Kabataang Makabayan. She marched in street demonstrations to protest about the issues she reported about in grade school Current Events. She sat in ‘teach-ins’. She supported labor unions in the picket lines. She gave talks in urban poor barangays to encourage the poor’s participation in political rallies. Eventually she dropped out of college and joined the rebels in the countryside. There she became the ‘current event’. She was pregnant with her first baby when she was killed in an encounter with the military.
See also:Leadership The Chicken Joecar – In Memoriam
One of the students, Susan, bored her teachers and classmates with articles about bills filed in the Senate or Congress and talked about how the bill would help or hurt the Filipinos should it pass into a law. She reported about corruption and incompetence in government. She didn't get good grades but she still did this from eight years old till she graduated at the age of twelve.
Sta. Ana Tenement From: www.panoramio.com In 1965, Susan was in high school. President Diosdado Macapagal was running for a second term. His opponent was President Ferdinand Marcos. She had nothing against the then Senate Pres. Marcos but from her Current Events reports she knew about the Tenement Housing Macapagal had built for the very poor. She thought the country needed more of those. She was too young to vote so she campaigned for Macapagal within the voting members of her family. President Marcos won that election. “Let every person be in subjection to the superior authorities, for there is no authority except by God; the existing authorities stand placed in their relative positions by God.” (Romans 13:1) 
From: natoreyes.wordpress.com Four years later, by 1969, Susan found herself in the College of Arts and Science of the University of the Philippines, in Diliman, Quezon City. The youth of the world was in uproar back then. At the height of what people called “student unrest” she joined the Kabataang Makabayan. She marched in street demonstrations to protest about the issues she reported about in grade school Current Events. She sat in ‘teach-ins’. She supported labor unions in the picket lines. She gave talks in urban poor barangays to encourage the poor’s participation in political rallies. Eventually she dropped out of college and joined the rebels in the countryside. There she became the ‘current event’. She was pregnant with her first baby when she was killed in an encounter with the military. See also:Leadership The Chicken Joecar – In Memoriam
