Posts from — August 2008

I love cooking shows. I get quickly drawn into watching chefs cook and present food in such a delicious and attractive manner. Cooking competitions are even more exciting as it usually brings out greater creativity from the chefs. The Great American Seafood Cook Off is now on its fifth year and has showcased great seafood recipes. My favorite is the Mississippi Redfish Courtboullion with Seafood Dirty Rice by Chef John Currence of Mississippi. The name itself is already interesting. But what I liked most about this recipe is the fact that it uses an ingredient close to the heart of most Asians: rice. Reading through the recipe, I get the impression that it requires simple preparation yet presented in manner that is typical of a special dinner. Preparation and cook time will roughly take about an hour hinting that this is not your quick cooking recipe. Anyway, as I have already mentioned, the end product looks so special that you wouldn’t mind working that time. And besides, it involves a couple of 20-minute waiting periods for simmering and baking. If I were to modify the recipe, I’d probably ease up on the Tabasco sauce to use just enough to put up a good spice (and of course, I have my kids in mind). I will have to experiment on the fish to be used as that will likely be dependent on what is available in the market. Sword fish, tuna, or salmon may be likely candidates as these are quite common here in Australia. Using domestic seafood has its advantages. Using local seafood gives the added assurance on its freshness.

To get more details of this recipe, visit the cook off site and choose/vote your favorite recipe. You may even win a New Orleans trip package.

While doing our gardening yesterday, our two daughters were simply restless. They said they would like to help. In fact, they insisted on helping. So while we mowed the lawn and cut the bushes, the kids were happily picking up the trimmed grass, leaves, or branches. They would run with their ‘loot’ and throw them into a mulch pile. They, especially little CN, would frequently drop small chunks of grass all over the place, giving myself and my husband a good laugh break in yesterday’s tiring afternoon.

Whenever I do some research while preparing for an air travel, I always seem to come across suggestions for wearing special socks or stockings. Compression leg wear help in preventing Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT that is commonly associated with long air travel. This is the reason why it is also sometimes called as “economy class syndrome” as there is usually restricted movement in such seats. This is also the main reason why most if not all carriers present exercise suggestions while in flight. There are other types of medical stockings. For patients recovering from some surgery, TED Stockings are suggested while lying down in bed and recuperating.

Yesterday, we heard the news about the truth or non-truth behind Mike Guglielmucci’s health condition. We were quite surprised as we were totally caught unaware even as the news had already been posted in several online news earlier last week. He was a pastor at Planetshakers and was writer of the popular song ‘Healer’. We definitely loved that song. We were there during the Hillsong This is Our God recording and was witness to how powerful that song is. Nothing changes about that song. It still tells of the wonderful truth that Jesus is all we need… our Healer.

I could not recall whether, as a kid, I was a chocolate lover. Anyway, my two daughters are definitely choco-kids. Or maybe it is my husband who gave them the inclination on those kinds of food. In any case, we do give our kids some choco treats once in a while and in moderation. Their favorites? They definitely like chocolate bars (plain/without nuts). Recently, they (together with their dad) experimented with some dark chocolates and mint chocolates. Obviously, they also like to have chocolate cakes, cookies, brownies and so on. Given all these, it is no doubt that a chocolates shop will be a hit for my family.

Winter is not over yet in this part of the world. We still feel the coldness of the weather especially during the night. To keep us all warm, my family stays in one room, set the heater on and under a thick warm blanket we comfortably watch a show or a movie together while having a good sip of hot coffee, warm Milo and a cold milk shake, our favorite drinks.

Last week, classes in Manila were suspended because of really bad weather. Here in Sydney, we have never experienced that sort. I could recall back then when we were still in the Philippines. During the wet season (or maybe a more appropriate ‘typhoon season’), we always need to on alert. At these times, we prepare for power outages or brownouts which may be caused by strong wind, falling tree branches, or flooding. Instead of keeping candles, I think it is safer to stack up on battery powered lights or flashlights. This is true especially since I’ve got kids… and kids are just so amused by the sight of candles (yeah, they associate it with birthdays). But sometimes, we get caught unprepared as the batteries may have already run out. One good thing to have is a shake flashlight. It does not require batteries as merely shaking the flashlight will provide continuous light. Now that’s a bright idea!

Planning on a home move has made this weekend a very busy one. I could hardly find the time to pick up the camera to take shots. Apart from packing our belongings, we also need to do some general cleaning on our current home before we hand it over to the landlord. We have spent nearly half the day to do some gardening. In keeping with the gardening mood, I would like to share this photo of an interesting flower. Unfortunately, the name of this one is unknown to me. Well, the first 3 people who can correctly tell me what flower’s name is will get 20 EC credits!

I was looking for the next public holiday here in Sydney. It looks like there is only one holiday before Christmas. That seemed to have made the coming months really go slow. Though, there is still the school term holiday that I can look forward to. That happens sometime in early October. It should only be a short wait then.

There is actually one other day which is significant all over Australia before we hit the end of year celebrations. It’s often called as ‘the race that stops the nation’. Yes, that’s the Melbourne Cup. This is held on the first Tuesday of November and is actually considered a holiday in some areas. My husband told me that business in the offices actually takes a halt to watch this all-important race. A few days before this event, people actually take some serious ‘studying’ how to ‘participate’ in the once-a-year horse race.

We are preparing to a new place in the next couple of weeks. While I was pulling out suitcases to use for packing things, I noticed how worn out some of the luggage have become. I am thankful that we have not yet experienced having significant baggage related problems whenever we travel. But a better way to prepare is to get a suitable travel insurance that would give peace of mind that things can still be set right even if something goes wrong.

The Beijing 2008 Olympics closes today after a couple of weeks of celebrations and competitions. Other than the Olympic rings colors, there are three others which have been popular throughout the games. These are gold, silver, and bronze. Several participating countries had a great collection of these colors. On the other hand, a lot of countries, including the Philippines, are going home empty handed.

We, as a family, had a great time watching the games. As spectators, what we enjoyed most was seeing countries come together to compete in friendly games. That’s being together, regardless of color!

After a long time of search, we have finally found a new place to move to. As I have written previously, there is an ongoing rental crisis here in Sydney that puts pressure to several tenants like us. Anyway, the green light for preparations is up. At the top of the moving list is obviously to shortlist moving companies. It is important to get a good mover as it can definitely make or break the entire experience.

There is a good reason why billboards say ‘Drive Carefully’. I read in the news today about a truck accident injuring 83 people somewhere in the Middle East. As with any truck-related accidents, it is indeed sad news. Families of those who were injured in such a scenario are faced not only with hurt and grief, but also stress in coping with the situation. A truck accident lawyer is able to assist affected people in these trying times.

We were having a chat with friends this morning about how fast time flies. It was just like yesterday when we were still learning the ropes of parenting newborns. That made me realize that, as time moves too fast, we parents should also move fast in preparing for the future. From a financial point of view, this means we could look for ways to effectively invest money. As each family’s situation is unique, a futures broker may be able to help to give the proper advise.

Yesterday morning the teachers already told the kids about their special visitor. And the kids were all excited to meet him. Yes, a Police Officer in uniform visited CN’s class. She was very excited to talk about the experience when she got home. She recalled what the Policeman told them about his work and that they even tried to use the handcuffs pretending to be the bad guys.

This morning when I sent CN to school, I had a quick chat with the school administrator. She (administrator) told me about how the kids excitement went on and on as they waited for their meetup with the Police Officer as he apparently came in later than expected. So the moment he stepped into the classroom everybody was so glad to meet him including my little CN who went to him and said ‘Hello Policeman! Finally you’re here. You’re late. What took you so long? We’ve been waiting for you.’