Photo Op

Three weeks ago, the long-awaited car was finally delivered by our good agent Alex of Honda Cars. A week after that I decided to take photos of it as requested by some friends. Well, there was an attempt but, as my disclaimer also during my friends viewing, you may not already notice the subject because of one little girl na umeeksena the whole time :)

the supposed solo pic of the car ( notice the little head peeping beside the side mirror?)

with sophie and sam

with Sophie 

and again

and again... i don't know where she got these poses

with sophie and sam again. 

Sam's only photo pic. can you see Sophie's fingers? hahabol pa sana siya sa picture na 'to

Also... last week, we brought the car to Antipolo to have it blessed and here are some photos:

with it's Ninang Chit :)

the deacon blessing the interior. Sophie was on the passenger seat and after the blessing she kept on complaining na 'binasa ako ng pari ng water'.

Although the car has already been blessed, we still haven't decided on it's name. Bam wants to name it Megatron but I'm contemplating on Kiwi or Chico, both my fave fruits and because of the color. 

PEP.ph: The Number One Site for Philippine Showbiz | Indie | Bong Ramos reacts to Cinemalaya's statement denying occurence of plagiarism

I saw this article on pep.ph just now. No comments from me, just posting the links. Why no comment? Kuya Bong Ramos is our artistic director for ARTE (Action for the Religious Theatre Ensemble or what we jokingly call Alejandro Ramos Theatre Ensemble). It was my theatre group back in Sta. Clara,Pasay during my college days. I have high respect for the Kuya Bong having witnessed first hand his immense talent and creativity.

Ditto for Sir. Gil Portes, I have high regard for his screenplays. Therefore, no comment.

I just wish that whatever the end result of this matter, will be for the best of both parties.

PEP.ph: The Number One Site for Philippine Showbiz | Indie | Bong Ramos reacts to Cinemalaya's statement denying occurence of plagiarism

http://www.pep.ph/news/26280/(UPDATED)-Indie-filmmaker-alleges-director-Gil-Portes-lifted-his-idea-for-Two-Funerals

What's Growing Nicely in My Garden

It's nice to finally grow gulay at kung ano ano pa in my backyard. All along I thought may curse ako sa pagtatanim. I think nakatulong din na we have a good soil in Camella. It's the reddish, mud type na when mixed with a loose type of soil (malay ko kung ano ang title nun) eh maganda sa halaman.

Actually, lately Im hooked with gardening and at how to get rid of those pesky bugs and other critters. Aba, inubos nila ang dahon at bulaklak ng five fingers ko. Buti na lang tinira ang mga tangkay kaya awa ng Diyos tumutubo na ulit ang dahon. 

here are some veggies and flowering plants that growing in our yard:

five fingers, a gift from my mom. it grew to almost 3 feet na andaming bulaklak tapos paggising ko isang umaga kalbo na :(

red sili, pangsawsawan. I don't remember planting this but it grew anyway

bell peppers. this one grew to twice more than in the picture. I forgot who gave this to me

Ampalaya. Abundantly growing in my backyard, maraming gustong bumili pero I give them away kasi nakakahiya naman ibenta. I don't eat ampalaya anyway :) This one came from my mom also.

my Papaya tree, i think from my MIL. It's growing amidst the ampalaya and alugbati. I'm eagerly waiting for this to bear fruits. There's one more papaya tree growing in the front yard :)

And now my fave of all, the Malunggay trees growing in the front and backyard. From my mom.

Dahil paborito ko ang Tinola, sulit na sulit sa amin ang dahon malunggay and sili. 

Ahh, actually wala talaga akong binili sa mga ito, puro bigay lang. 

Meron naman akong binili kahit papano:

this flowering plant that gives off a minty smell, hindi ko rin alam title nito but it's very colorful

Santan that yields white and yellow flowers

Basil leaves, those with blue bear markers. Kinareer ko pa naman ang pagtanim dito pero hindi naman tumubo 

Medyo sablay talaga ako sa mga packet of seeds na binili sa grocery.

Sam's papogi

Sam's pogi face and monster face looks the same. When he grows up, I think he will need to see this. Maybe put it in his wedding video :) 

Sophie Doodles

Sophie's version of a human being. Yes, tao yan kahit na mukhang alien, wala na lang pakialamanan. 

This was shot last June. Now she can already draw a proper circle and square :) 

Time In a Cave

The article below is really something to ponder on because worldly life can distract us from living a God-willed and purposeful life. Sometimes we go on in life doing what we want to do but when we fail we question 'Why?' This one is really enlightening and makes you think 'Is this what God wishes for me to do or is this where He wants me to go?' Trust God, surrender to Him and everything will have it's meaning.

Time in the Cave

You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living... " - Psalm 142:5 NKJV

  .

Hard times energize some people, yet paralyze others. Look at David. Everything he touched turned to gold: Samuel anointed him to be king; he defeated Goliath; Saul chose him as a musician and warrior; the army loved him and wrote songs about him. Then his life fell apart. He lost his job and his marriage failed; Samuel his old mentor died; his best friend Jonathan couldn't help him, and Saul's soldiers hounded him until he had to hide in a cave.

 .

At some point we all do time in the cave! It's where you end up when all your earthy supports are gone. It's where you learn important things about yourself that you can't learn anywhere else. It's where God does some of His best work in moulding you into the likeness of Christ. It's where your worst inadequacies confirm that you're out of your depth, and where God sends His power to flow through your weakness.

 .

When David prayed, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living,' he'd no way of knowing there was a crown in his future, or that he wasn't going to die in hiding. For all he knew, this cave he was in right now might be as good as it gets. When you're in a situation you can't fix, can't change and can't escape, trust God! Trust God! Trust God!

 

As long as your sense of security is tied solely to your success, it'll always be fragile. But when you know that God is with you even at your lowest point, you can handle the cave and come out stronger! 

Kind regards,

bongsantiago

eMail 1: BenSantiago@smartbro.net

eMail 2: bensantiago@me.com

eMail 3: bongsantiago@gmail.com

Weekend Treats

For several weekends (except recently when we’ve been really busy with something), I 'd cook with the help of Sophie merienda and breakfast that are very simple yet something we all enjoy eating. For one, I made spaghetti inspired by Amber’s spaghetti. I usually make Italliani's-inspired pasta having outgrown cooking the regular spaghetti with meat sauce. But this time, it's a kiddie-party style spaghetti, with hotdogs ang sweet tomato sauce, something Bam, Sophie and Sam really love.

Amber's Spaghetti, really yummy :)

our spaghetti, syempre masarap din :)

Another weekend, Sophie and I made pandesal pizza. Very easy to do, just cut the pandesal in half, put a little tomato or pizza sauce, quick melt cheese, hotdog or ham (or both), fresh basil and sprinkle with olive oil and it’s ready for the oven (even oven toaster will do J ). Once cheese is melted and bread a little brown and crusty, it’s done. This is a yummy treat, the fresh basil adds so much character to the pizza.

 If you notice, we just love cheese :) 

Then one weekend, Bam and I decided to make a big breakfast sans McDo delivery. We made scrambled egg ala McDo (the soft and moist kind), french toast, ham and...sliced cheese again (which Sophie finished off in minutes). Perfect breakfast to go with the our new Nescafe Taster’s Choice coffee :0