ADDICTED TO BAKE

 Couch is not the place for an older person like me to watch tv. It only takes a matter of minutes before I sleep. That was what happened to me last night. It was incredible that I woke up to watch the credit of the movie. 

Not being able to go back to sleep, I prepared the baking stuff for the day (after I cleaned the kitchen). Not long after I was done, my alarm went off. What is left to do but to change my clothes for the next baking day. 

No matter how I told myself that I needed to be organized and get time for myself to do something. It always end up me being exited to bake. It feels like whenever I have nothing else to do, I have to bake. 

The good thing about today is that my torta seems to be getting better and looks more perfect ready to be sold to the Asian community. 

Well, lets call it a night, or morning, but as always, the stuff needed for baking today is up and ready. 

Lights out: 12.06, July 17 2023

Glance and Hindsight

 It's been almost a year since the pandemic came. Who will not remember COVID-19? This month marks the anniversary when the world stopped living and when people crept into their living rooms and retreat into their darker selves. 

Last year was also a test on how government respond to pandemic. I would say, 98% failed. It was notably the government run by women showed the world how pandemic can be survived. Kudos to New Zealand and  Taiwan for showing the world how it should be combat COVID.

Vaccine: I had my first shot (moderna) but I am still extra careful. Nevertheless, out of bad habit, I always fell into carelessness (the one when you touch your face even before you "hand-sanitized". Jaz and mama had theirs, the kids don't have it yet (unavailable)

Bread: A blessing and a commitment. Who would predict that we will be so immersed in the dough business. We are blessed, yes, but we are also committed. We have taken to supply 6 stores along the Greater Houston area (including Baytown) with our Filipino bread/s (ube pandesal, pan de coco, spanish bread, ube ensaymada, cheesy ensaymada and our favorite and pioneer of all our breads, the special pandesal).

Kids:  Zach is now in his sophomore years at HSPVA (https://www.houstonisd.org/hspva), Xandrei was just accepted at De Bakey High School and Ylize is in her 2nd Grade. 

Mom transferred to DeBakey Hospital for more than a year already. She's been loving it. I guess, this was her best work so far, but more so, she's the driving force of our bread business.

The chicken? Well, from 12, we now only have 4. Two weeks ago, a pack of dogs broke our fence and came in wreaking havoc to our chicken. Two were mutilated and killed while one was badly wounded. Out of the 3 dogs, we were able to capture one and sent it via the county animal control.

Health: It was a good news to find out my last AIC is 6.8, a rare and seldom occurrence. As I was scrolling my past lab results, it was scary that at one point, I got as high as 7.9. 

Future? Well, I moved from fulltime to part time at St. Helen. Next year, instead of teaching Religion and Reading, I asked that I be  given only the reading load. Thanks to our ever-understanding Dr. Coleman. I couldn't thank her enough. 

Blogging? Pray that I may have the fire to write regularly, if not daily.

See you then. 

KURA NOT ANYMORE

I loved going to a Japanese restaurant. This is my simple craving. But I know Japanese restaurants tend to be more expensive. Nevertheless, I don't mind it.

Tonight was not different After much prodding from Xandrei, I gave in and brought the family to Kura Revolving Sushi although my guts told me to detour to Cho-Cho.

True enough, I have no appetite when we get to Kura. The sushi don't appeal yummy. Most sushi appear dry and the servings were simply too stingy  But what else should I do, we were there already? And I have to eat.

It was not an enjoyable evening for me tonight. My cravings was not satisfied. After today, I doubt if I am coming back to Kura. I will eat sushi and pay cheap, I would stick to Cho-choo.


Notable Events:


1. First time to resume driving in Houston. It was a decent drive (4) punctuated with a wrong last rider.

2 Mowed the lawn today. My realization is I can't do much anymore compared to when I was sill young and adventurous

Health:

Got my A1C today. It remained at 7.

Father's Day 2018

Another day remembering how important or not we are in the family. As I was reflecting on how I am as a father to my 3 kids, I chanced upon to reflect also how I was as a son to my dad. Last year, I went home and celebrated, for the first time, Father's Day with Pang. It was different and awkward. We were not really the kind of family who talks things about our feelings nor emotions. We know who we are based on our normal selves.  And we get by. One of the reasons why I went home was to see how he was doing. Thanks that today, based on Facebook photos, he looks healthy, always smiling and goes around the town Same thing with my mom. They seemed enjoying their lives in spite of the fact that Cyril just got his kidney transplant last March and Biyo's little trouble.

As a dad, I know I have a lot of misgiving to my boys. If the traditional dad of the paleolithic age train their kids to hunt, I flunk in that department. Their skills may not be at par to the kids at their age whose dad lined up the task they need to accomplish. But I am trying. I know at times I am hard on them, especially to Xandrei, who seemed to exhibit a stubborn ego. Zach's interest in art more than in math was troubling to me at the beginning, but as a teacher who appreciates and preaches diversity of skills I  learned to live with it. Ylize's artistic and dramatic demeanor always brighten my day. Being an only girl in the family and sweet to her dad is a plus. She would always have a one liner or catchy phrase that keeps me wonder what else does she have.

Father's Day then to me is just being their to/with my kids, letting them be kids and enjoy their simple joy and conquest. I am looking forward to next years reminder how good or bad was I dispensing the power of being a DAD.

*Had a great lunch today at https://www.yiayiamarys.com/ For sure we will come back.

A Year Ago

After a yearlong hiatus, here I am again, trying to revive and infused life into this blog.

It's almost the second week of Advent. We are getting ready for the Midterm Exam. Kids are antsy but responsible. Today we had our gift of time. But unlike before, mine was a short 2 hour Gift of Time.

The weather is cold. Some news forecasts snow on Friday. Well, its been a while since we had a snow in Houston. We can definitely welcome one.

I have started going to the gym, as promised to my doctor that I am going to get serious with my health and exercise. It is a struggle to drive especially if it is cold outside, but once I am there, I felt encouraged.

There was a big sad news to us ex-sems. Bonz, as we call him, passed away unexpectedly. Cardiac arrest. So young, and so early.

It is ironic for us because ever since Bonz decided to ignore us long time ago, his death brought back together most of our classmates, even the once that Bonz did not like or had a falling out.

Ylize continue to fascinate me. She is smart but with a little behavioral problem. She holds the record of having 2 consecutive yellow for being loud and noisy.

Great is God's mercy. His love endures forever.

4 November 16 - All Saints Week

Amidst the noise of the election, we have Ylize who remains to be sweet and smart (at least from the perspective of a dad).  This morning, she woke up without a fuzz. I think its because she slept early and was well fed.

What is fascinating about her today was her calmness and "seriousness" when it comes to school matters.

The boys are ok today. Zach, who always struggle to be consistent with his grades came clean today when he said, "we all have a low grade" in Science. I need to do a good job of monitoring his study habits. Thirty minutes a day per subject could be a good strategy.

Xandrei on the other hand, though excels in his classes, seemed not contented. He is our over achiever kid. A good trait, I supposed.

Mom works today, she is moving to a new unit, still at St. Luke's. I hope this change will not tire her a lot.

We voted yesterday. Jaz obviously was a democrat. Me? Can't tell you. I voted for a candidate, who, even if he/she will not win, yet I know will make a difference.

We have Quiz Bowl tomorrow. Yes I have to give up my Saturday. Even if I would like to rest because last Saturday was a killer. I guess, I don't have any choice. I have to help

Hey, I can't believe it. I am blogging again? I hope it will last

Ciao!

FLORIDA 2016 (DeFuniak Spring)

The reason we travel at the end of July is for us to celebrate Jaz's birthday. It has become a tradition to celebrate her birthday in another city or state.  This year, we chose Florida.

The plan to leave at 3 was moved to 4 then 4:30. I needed to make sure the house is safe, the insecticide is sprayed and the chicken has feeds. Off we  went. After 40 minutes of driving the tire light came of. Dismissing it as "normal" for Sienna, we drove for more than 30 minutes more until I finally relented to my conscience to have the tire air check at Bucess!

Defuniak was our first stop over. We were surprised to see a gift from the staff  for our "anniversary." Unknown to me, they told my wife that my comment in their website showed that we are celebrating our anniversary. I don't remember making any mention of the anniversary. Nevertheless, how can you refuse a bottle of wine from the local winery, a set of goblets, candies and a note. To return the favor of their great hospitality, aside from paying $168.00, I have to give them a good review in Yelp and in their site (which I have not done as of this writing). The only downside was the gas. It costs us $2.35 per gallon which to our dismay was way too high when we found a $1.91 per gallon 4 miles from DeFuniak Springs.

Thanks Holiday Inn of DeFuniak Springs 

Why DeFuniak Springs ? Because it is the closest city of Seaside. Ms. Cordes mentioned to me how beautiful is its beach, how quaint is its town center and how unique is the city. Hence, we chose Defuniak. True to her word, the beach park is indeed captivating. The sand is white, powdery and comparable to Boracay (except that it is cleaner). I let my feet play with the sand and enjoy the respite it brought me. Definitely I will be coming back here, I told myself. Who will not? That was the first time for me to see and feel the inviting calmness of a beach. So pristine and untouched. I promised myself not to go back to Galveston and Surfside anymore.

 

The town by night was enchanting. Although parking is hard to find and speed is below ten (because of the people crossing and biking) it did not take us long to find a spot...and a place to dine. There are food trucks to choose from ranging from the usual american staple to the exotic concoction. We played safe and picked St. Louis style barbeque. It did not disappoint us. The spices and sauce were just about perfect.  Even Ylize stamped her approval.

We strolled around, took some pictures, ventured into their local post office, "sampled" their gelato.  We went home filled and full. Defuniak is definitely a future destination next summer.

GOOD GRADES = GOOD LIFE!

It’s not easy being a father. And more so being a Filipino father. Yesterday, or should I say last Sunday, was a typical example.

Hoping that Zach was aware of his church attire, we went to church for his altar serving. But when he put on his cassock, I found out that what he was wearing was inappropriate. I was furiously mad. To me that was a waste of time and gas. We came to church for nothing. The situation aggravated the following day when we found out that he got a C in Math and an F in Social Studies. The afternoon was not easy for him when he got home. Jaz and I simply confronted him and reminded him of his responsibility and “job” as a student. To which he was in denial and combative.

It is frustrating sometimes because you are expecting that everything is fine and yet you are blindsided with bad news. Much as you would like to be calm and reasonable, yet sometimes emotion, I mean bad emotion, takes over. You will only regret afterwards.

Today though was different. After a heart to heart talk and pleading, it seemed Zach realized that we are serious about his studies. I think I was able to say that “if before we are OK with B, now we want you to get all A’s.” Reflecting about this scenario, I guess it is better to set the bar of expectation to the highest level than by just asking for B’s.

To me academics are still the priorities. Games, clubs and piano are for kids skills development. At the end of the day, good grades, great school and stable job are the ones that can lead him to a good life. A life far from what we have gone through.

Good grades equals good life. Nothing can beat that.

Common Sense, Simple Solution

 

Even if I wake up early in the morning, I am always running late when I get to school. I usually blame the kids, especially Zach, when we are late (so lame) but I know for a fact that it’s me who is to be blame. I am the last minute guy. I find pleasure when I am pressured. I thrive at the last minute. I get a lot of ideas and deep reflection when I am running late. It benefits me when I am preparing for my class. I get to be more creative and my lessons become more  interesting when I am in the neck of time.

However, preparing for the school is a different case. You that I love to cook breakfast, filipino breakfast. I don’t like pancakes, nor waffles. I like sunny side up eggs, corned beef, spam, bacon or ham. To me that is a hearty and comfy breakfast. When I am doing this, my tardiness problem comes in. Instead of spending time to prepare for the school, I spend more time making breakfast and enjoying it.

Xandrei might have noticed it. Perhaps, he is already tired of running late. Tonight he told me, “Dad, is it ok to suggest to you?” Yes, I told him, give me your suggestion?

Well, can you iron your clothes tonight so as tomorrow we’ll not be late. A wake up call? Certainly it is.

Commons sense with Simple  Solution.

Just Another Day

 

My day is just about to end. From 4 A.M this morning up to 11 tonight, it seemed work is never done. From school to house chores, you simply couldn’t skip. My last task today was to help Zach with his Science Fair. His was way above his grade. But I guess, he needs to grow up faster to be more responsible and take those assignments seriously. I hope what we did (borrowing tons of books, writing the research question, doing research and finalizing the bibliography) was right.

Ylize takes away all our stress. She simply is so sweet. Her signature “Hi Daddy” rejuvenates your tired and weary body. She starts to like Barbie this week. I hope this is just a fad and she will eventually outgrow in two weeks.

Mom, as always, is working. This is her 4th night. I wonder where does she get the energy. We really need to look at our expenses. I believe that no matter how much money you have if you do not know how to manage your resources, everything is not enough. We should be better I managing our finances.

Its Friday tomorrow, a day before our much anticipated weeklong break.

Its frigid today here. Temperature is down at 30 plus the wind chill. I am so looking now for the Spring. I’m tired of this winter. But I guess, it will be a month more before we could see the best weather.

CHA-CHING

I was out of school today to attend a conference on behavioral and classroom management. This conference proved me wrong about so many things. I thought it was one of those boring and long ones. Admittedly it was long, but surprisingly, it was not boring. Mr. Mark made it very interesting and relevant when he made use of personal experiences as a husband, father, teacher and administrator when he was elucidating and making a point.  At the end of the day, these are some of the take away words; Cha-Ching, making appointment, deposit, withdrawal, safe environment, plan, relationships and procedures, procedures, procedures.

I was wrong also about the notion that if you missed or messed up your classroom management at the beginning of the school, you will mess the whole school year. Most participants agree on the notion that you can always re-teach every time you feel and observed that classroom management is falling apart.

I also enjoyed the company of some teachers from other ISD. I thought I will not interact well or not sit with me. It turned out I was quite blessed to have three ladies from Alief ISD sharing their experiences with me.  There was one generous lady whom I thought to be a teacher but in fact was unassuming principal who give me some other tips as to how to be effectively draw participation from the class and not just focus on some students who are not participating.

Well, the conference was not only for teachers or applicable for teachers, but I think I can use some of the strategies and concept to build relationship with my wife. I should know her level of love  so as I can make an appropriate deposit to our/her emotional account.

YLIZE: Today she said the word THANK YOU. It was such an amazing word to hear.

We pray for those who are afflicted with AIDS both those who were directly affected and their families.

Cha-Ching!