First allow me to breathe a sigh of relief….haaaaaaaaa!!!
Sometime last December, Gaby had her day with the Brits. And when I say Brits, I mean the examiners and staff of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music or ABRSM.
The school where Gaby takes voice and guitar lessons is affiliated with the Board and are prompt to refer their “able” music students for assessment. Of the 2 courses that Gaby has been taking, it was in voice that she got a recommendation to take the exams.
This being her first year, the exam she would take was a Prep Exam and was not given a numerical grade. She was, however, subjected to an exam nonetheless. This, in effect, would better prepare her for future exams should she decide to continue with her lessons.
Anyway, as the exams loomed nearer, Gaby, presumably prepared her pieces along with her teacher. I don’t make it a practice to hover when it comes to her music lessons. Not very Tiger Mom-mish, I know…but well, who knows in the future, right.
Back to the exams….
The day before the exam, Gaby was asked to come to school to practice her pieces…or at least the pieces that were going to be given on exam day.
Guess what….she didn’t know how to sing all 3 of the required pieces!!! Apparently, her new teacher felt that Gaby knew the pieces already since she had practiced them over the summer.
Half panicking, the director of the music program asked me to record him while he played and sang all 3 pieces so Gaby could practice them at home. Take note that this was at around 7pm and her exam was the next day. I was almost about to throw in the towel but Gaby assured me that she could do it…with a matching sweet smile that is so her when she wants something bad.
So, I took the 3 videos. And we practiced. The whole night. The whole morning the day after.
On exam day we were at the school an hour before her schedule. The director called her in immediately to have a run through of her pieces. I didn’t see her until after the test.
And….she came out smiling.
Being a mother to 2 kids means that I have to contend with “kalat” every now and then. Wait, let me rephrase that. I have to contend with “kalat” all the time. And since Christmas was a scant month ago, you can imagine how much “kalat” we have around here.
These last few years, the kids have accumulated so many toys which were given as gifts on Christmas and birthdays. The thing about toys today….they’re so big. And they’re getting bigger!!! So that means that a lot of space is needed to store them all. We’ve had to give away so many already and still those that remain take up so much space.
Gone are the days when keeping kids occupied meant getting an old garter and going to the garden to play Chinese or Japanese garter. I don’t see kids playing jackstones or “sipa” anymore. Nowadays, kids (if they’re not glued to a PSP or playing wii games) have these ginourmous toys to play with. Even those tiny collectible gewgaws come with huge houses and/or castles and/or hotels!!
Enter my pick-up sticks.
A few months ago I chanced upon a set of bamboo pick-up sticks at one of those stalls at the mall. They were selling for 20 bucks and I couldn’t help but buy…for the kids and myself of course. We had a go at it but the fun didn’t last long and the poor set was relegated to one of the kids’ desk drawers…until New Year’s Eve.
The holidays are over and other than the added poundage, most of us have an excess of, what else….food. Leftovers aside, our refs and pantries are a little tighter because of the holidays. Ham, pasta, fruits, sweets, and the Pinoy Christmas staple…Queso de Bola. You can only have too many ham sandwiches and fruit salads. At one point you will feel a bit queasy just staring at that unopened box of pastries.
However, Queso de Bola is something that we don’t take lightly. Because it is so expensive and because you can only eat it in small amounts, we usually have it in our fridges for a while…more than what we are happy with. So to make our Queso de Bola experience a little more palatable, I decided to transform some of that pungent cheese.
Thus, my Queso de Bola spread was born. Here is my recipe….
2 cups grated Queso de Bola (Marca Pato or Marca Pina preferred)
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
If you like you can add a small can of pimiento and you have Queso de Bola Cheese Pimiento. Or, I was thinking, maybe some sundried tomatoes and fresh basil.
Best eaten with toasted bread. It gives that distinct “ensaymada” flavor instantly.
Like many Pinoy urban moms, I have my yaya’s wear a uniform. It was a policy that I’ve grown up with from the time I was born. My mom also had our househelp wear uniforms for the simple reason that it looked neat and it saved them from wearing out their own clothes. This translated to greater savings for them and bigger expenses for us..but that’s not the point.
A uniform, whether it be a school uniform or a work uniform, gives a sense of order…in my book. For me, yaya’s and househelpers who wear uniform are very neat and organized to a certain degree. Not that I abhor those who prefer not to wear uniforms. I just like the way they look more when they are in uniform than when they’re not in uniforms.
Note : Ate Arlyn in blue scrubs…Yaya Minda M.I.A.
Luckily, my yaya’s like wearing uniforms. One thing though, our Manang prefers the old style cut of uniform while Ate Arlyn prefers nursing scrubs. I give in to both their preferences because comfort plays a big role in their choice. Manang Minda doesn’t like th V-cut neck of scrubs while Ate Arlyn likes its looser cut. Either way, I just try to buy uniforms in the same color scheme so they look terno.
In the midst of reviewing for the final exams, I realized one thing….my temper was totally out of whack.
I don’t know if its my hormones or if what my family has been saying is true. I’m temperamental. So much so that sometimes I feel like slamming my foot on some door kick plates…if only we had them.
It’s really no surprise since many people in my family has this temper as well. My Mom likes to call it the famous “de Guzman temper.” My grandpa had it…and he had a shotgun too. So go figure. My Dad had it…and he used to drive around with a metal bar right beside him..just in case. My uncle had it…no weapons but his foot would inadvertently press down on the gas pedal of his car whenever he got mad. My sister has it…she who famously kicked our Christmas tree down in a fit of anger. And now my little tiny Adi has it….she who famously ripped our curtains and a bedsheet for no apparent reason.
Oh well….history continues, I guess. So watch out.
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