My kitchen adventures in the past have been limited to a few pasta dishes, a handful of desserts and maybe a few ulams (note: not the basic Filipino staples!).  These adventures were rare and far in between and usually just brought about by a sudden sumpong to cook or to impress my ex-boyfriend (now my hubby!).  That being said, I wouldn’t consider myself unable to cook, although my Nanay (maternal grandma) would probably think otherwise.  I am not at all intimidated by the kitchen.
Now that I’m faced with a totally new life role, that of a SAHMmy (stay at home mommy) or “domestic diva” as my cousin (in-law) Pinky likes to call our “kind”, for exactly a week now, I’ve been whippping up meals for my two babies: hubby and Abby.  And I’m proud to announce that I’m not doing a bad job at all, if I may say so myself. :D  Like a first time gym goer, I’m starting it slow.  I’ve only been cooking regular Pinoy dishes, nothing ala-Wolfgang Puck.  And thanks to YM, I am able to get instructions from my Mom in real time.  So far, I’ve been able to cook adobong manok, nilagang baka, sarshadong hito, ginataang kalabasa and pork afritada…all for the first time.  Today we had steamed prawns and a little adobong pusit (meant for tomorrow!).  They weren’t all perfect, I admit.  The adobong manok had a little too much vinegar (no thanks to Nora Daza’s recipe!) but I was able to do damage control just before the adobo turned to paksiw (note: hubby hates as in HATES vinegar!).  The potatoes in my afritada didn’t turn out nicely because I didn’t follow my Mom’s instruction of frying the potatoes first.  I guess I got a little too impatient with the frying and besides, I never liked frying because I was afraid to have hot oil splatter on any part of my anatomy!  But my sarshado and ginataang kalabasa turned out really well, thank you.  *Bow*  And so did the adobong pusit (even if there was very little black ink)!  The steamed prawns drowned in 7-up was a smash hit (kahiya naman kung steamed na nga lang e pumalpak pa!).

The biggest blow to my self esteem happened last Friday, because for lunch, I chose an ulam which required years of hands-on experience and cooking expertise…fried chicken.  I decided to face my fear of frying head on.  I simply took to heart my Nanay’s advise to turn down the fire or move the pan over to the unlit burners of the stove if I have to turn over whatever it is I’m frying. 

And so, there I was, frying like an expert.  *Tongue in cheek*  I was like a boxer dancing around the wok and ducking with every loud fizzle while holding my wok spatula at arm’s length.  However hard I tried to avoid getting in contact with the hot oil, natilimsikan pa rin!  I still have the remembrance on my right hand.  When I was through frying a few pieces, I called my starving hubby and daughter to the table for lunch while I continued frying the rest of the pieces I had left.  I saw hubby having a hard time slicing the meat?  I asked if it was still undercooked?  Maybe a little, so back to the frying pan they went.  After a few minutes, the drumsticks and thighs were back at the table.  We were just so surprised at how the darned thing was still so tough, hard to chew and hard to slice.  So like freaking rubber!  I thought that it might be the Texas chicken Pinoys liked to joke about…chicken for sabong!  I fished the packaging the chicken came with out of the trash.  The label said “whole hen”.  Isn’t a hen a chicken?  I phoned my aunt in California to ask.  I then found out that hens were usually used for stews.  So hen doesn’t necessarily mean chicken!  Ayayay! :D  Poor hubby, probably not wanting to hurt my feelings, ate a quarter of a rubbery chicken, holding the drumstick by the hand and tried with all his might to take a bite after bite after bite!  Abby probably thought she was eating gum! :D  Majority of the chicken hen pieces are still in the fridge waiting to become part of maybe a salad or pancit. 

By 4pm, we were starving and had sandwiches.  It was a good thing we were invited to a bar-b-q dinner at the house of Dondi’s former boss. 

No chicken dance just yet!

Note:  I initially had this entry protected by a password.  But I got hubby’s approval to just let everybody read it.  Yipee!  He’s such a good sport!

Hubby will probably not take me to the Outlet Mall again after he reads this.  But hey, he’s out and Abby’s asleep and I’m just too lazy to deal with the “Cs”.  And this is my site anyway, so I pretty much have free reign, right?  I will just passpowrd protect this entry to limit access to family and friends (who dare ask for the password!).  So, while I’m waiting for Webshots to finish uploading fresh photos from last weekend, I’ll let you all in on a conversation I had with hubby over the phone exactly a week ago ;) …

It was Monday, 14 May and I was still feeling a little sad that my Mom already left for Manila the previous day.  Hubby had to leave early to go to Dell to test some floppy drives.  While Abby and I were watching tv just after (or was it before?) breakfast, I got a call from hubby, and he sounded a little worried…

Me:  Hello?

Hubby:  Munchkin!…I have a problem.

That got me a little worried myself!

Me:  Ano yun?

Hubby:  Nakalimutan ko mag-sapatos!

Relieved that it wasn’t something remotely serious, I managed to reply in between fits of laughter… 

Me:  Ha?  E ano suot mo?

Hubby:  Yung sandals ko.  (They were brown leather flip-flop looking outdoor sandals, but hubby was wearing a short-sleeved polo with slacks and black socks to boot! ;)  Thank God he wasn’t wearing his bedroom slippers! )

Me:  Nasaan ka na?  Uwi ka na lang ulit!  (It’s not a bad suggestion considering it’s quite easy to get around to and from where we live because there’s no traffic.)

Hubby:  Nandtio na ‘ko sa parking ng Dell.

Me:  Hindi ka na puwede umuwi?

Hubby:  Late na eh!  Ano gagawin ko?

Me:  Sabihin mo na lang masakit kasi ang paa mo. (That is, if somebody dared to ask!)

Hubby:  Tanggalin ko na lang ang medyas ko ‘no?

Me:  Oo, ganun na lang!   Ok lang yun!

Hubby:  Ok. Ganun na lang gagawin ko.  Bye.

When Abby and I greeted hubby at the garage when he came home for lunch, he got down the car with his black socks in his hands.  I have to say, he didn’t look bad at all!  I recall seeing models in fashion tv strutting up and down the runway wearing sandals with their suits! 

I did have a good laugh that day.  Just what I needed!  I could always count on hubby to lift my spirits when I’m feeling down.  ;)  I am so blessed!

To our family and friends who have been wondering about us, this one’s for you.  Here are the highlights of our first week in Austin, which were mostly of shopping and eating out and making the most of my Mom’s stay (since the roundtrip fare to and from Manila is no joke! ).

Little Ms. Jetsetter

04 May 2007 - Abby loved her Snow White trolley bag.  She wouldn’t hear of any help with carrying or pullying it along. :D  These pics were taken at the Houston Airport where we took our connecting flight to Austin.

Chuck E. Cheese’s

06 May 2007 - After hearing Sunday mass, we had lunch at Chuck E. Cheese’s for Abby’s sake. :)  A treat for being such a good sport as we went to several stores shopping for housewares and groceries. Haha!

Texas State Capitol

After lunch at Chuck E. Cheese’s, Dondi took us to Downtown Austin to visit the Texas State Capitol.  The rightmost pic is of the Capitol’s main gate which leads to a very looooong street leading to who know’s where. :D  It’s also proof that Texas is not all cows and grass.  Hee hee!

(L-R)  The Capitol Visitors Center, which houses a souvenir shop and where one can take free brochures about Texas; squirrels were all over the grounds of the TSC; the interior view of the Capitol’s dome.

Dinner with the Trans

08 May 2007 - Only on our 4th day and we already had a dinner invitation! :D  My long lost gradeschool friend, Betbet, and her husband Tony welcomed us into their huge house in Round Rock for a night of animated conversations and a very filling home-cooked dinner.  Abby finally met her new friends, Milo (mee-low) and twin kuyas, Miyo and Mico.

Round Rock Premium Outlets

09 May 2007 - No visit to the US is complete without outlet shopping!  I’m happy to announce that we live just about 15-20 minutes away from Round Rock Premium Outlets. ;)  We had lunch at Asian Too Express, which is owned by Betbet and Tony (free chow again!).  And since it was a weekday, we had the outlets practically all to ourselves.

Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q

Our first dose of authentic Texan bar-b-q came by way of Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q.  It’s a no-nonsense fastfood joint and diners eat al-fresco.  With it’s brick walls and hardwood tables and benches, the ambiance is truly Texan.  We had half-a-link of sausage, half-rack baby back ribs and extra moist beef brisket.  Everything was just bar-b-qd to perfection.  For carbo, there’s all-you-can-eat white bread…the softest I’ve ever tasted and very good too!  Yum!  We had sides of potato salad and creamy corn and for dessert, chocolate pudding.  This was a truly unique dining experience for us.  The trays look like beer crates and they have sodas and beers in old-fashioned bottles.

Chuy’s

10 May 2007 - The following night, we went TexMex at Chuy’s.  It’s been a while since we had Mexican food and Chuy’s more than made up for our cravings.  Unfortunately, my Mom’s not so big on Mexican food.  Hee hee!  :D  Sorry, Mommy!  The servings are generous and there’s bottomless tortilla chips that come with 3 kinds of dip.  Almost every diner went out with take-out boxes.  Big fans of Mexican food will have a gastronimic blast at this restaurant!  Promise!

Applebee’s

12 May 2007 -  For my Mom’s despedida dinner and advance Mother’s Day celebration, we had dinner at Applebee’s.  Both Dondi and my Mom had sirloin steak, only my Mom’s was kiddie size (good thing we had a child with us!) while Abby and I shared an order of buttermilk shrimp (Abby loves shrimp!).  The steaks were juicy and tender!  This place is definitely a “must-visit-again”.

Our House

No, we live neither in a barn nor a farm, this is our  home away from home. (L-R)  The front; the pathway leading to our house (guess which one’s ours!); the back of the house.  I’d invite you in but I’ll just have to do that some other time.

That’s about it!  Now, my days are jampacked in a different way…with the big “C”, that is Chores (no pics, plesase!)!  ‘Til my next photo sharing entry!

This photo of my mom held a greater meaning for me yesterday.

I am probably one of the few people, if not the only one, who is glad and relieved that Mother’s Day is finally over.  Yesterday, Mother’s Day, was just way too emotionally charged for me.  The reason, my Mom went back home to Manila yesterday.  When we were booking her ticket for the trip to and from Austin, I was very much against her leaving on the 13th of May because I wanted to celebrate Mother’s Day with her.  But she insisted that much as she wants to stay with us  longer, she really just has to get back home right way to attend to so many things.  And so, she had her way.  We were up by 4:30am yesterday and out of the house by 5:30am.  My Mom had an 8:50 am flight to Houston, her first stop.  One thing I really appreciate about US airports is that you can accompany passengers inside the airport upto just before they have to go through the security check to get to the gates or immigration, depending on the destination.

My Mom was through checking-in her baggage and securing her boarding passes by 6:30am.  Boarding time is at 7:30am.  This allowed us a few minutes longer lease on “together time”, for which I’m very thankful.  A few minutes after 7am, my Mom decided it was time for her to go through security check and just wait it out at the passenger lounge.  Hard as it was, we hugged each other ever so tightly and said our temporary goodbyes.  She gave Dondi and Abby goodbye hugs and kisses as well.  Like a scene from a movie, from a distance, we watched her go through security check and she would give us a glance every now and then.  We would then wave and blow her kisses. :D  And after she was through with the security check and just before she headed towards the direction of her boarding gate, we all waved goodbye and blew kisses one final time.
We stayed home the whole day leaving only around lunch time to hear mass, have lunch, return some stuff to Toys R Us and buy Abby new pairs of pants.  The rest of the day I spent wallowing in my sorrow. Heehee. 

oOo

I remember a conversation I had with Mia when we hooked up in Manila last January.  She said she cried for 3 months when she got to the US more than 3 years ago now.  When I got to Austin, I have to admit, I was happy and excited over our new house, shopping for home stuff, the nice and quiet city that Austin seems to be, etc.  And I thought, hey, it looks like there’s gonna be no crying for me…at least not for 3 months!  I started munching on  and gulping down these thoughts 2 nights before my Mom left.  As I lay in bed with Abby and hubby asleep beside me, I just found myself crying…non-stop!  Every bit a Mommy’s girl that I am, reality just bit me and it finally sunk in that my Mom and I, who have been together for all 31 years of my life, will now have to live apart from each other. 

This was unthinkable for most everyone who knew about our move to Austin.  “Paano ka na?” was what they asked my Mom and “Paano na si Mommy mo?” was what they asked me.  I now realize that they should have been more worried about me instead.
Yesterday, at the ripe old age of 31, I sufferred from a terrible bout of separation anxiety.  For the second consecutive night, I cried myself to sleep the eve my Mom was scheduled to leave.  I woke up and continued crying.  And then after my Mom finally left, every hint of a thought about my Mom made me cry.  It was soooo baaaaaad!  Having stayed with us in our newly leased house, she has stamped her presence in practically every one of its nook and crany.  Abby’s room, where she slept, smelled so nicely of her.  I hug and smell the sheets and pillow for a more tangible reminder of my Mom. :D  The upstairs bathroom, was my Mom’s and Abby’s for the 8 full days she was here.  Everything suddenly felt weird.  It was weird not having my Mom’s toiletries on the bathroom sink; not seeing her at the kitchen eating, washing dishes or cooking when I come down for breakfast; not having her at a comfortable distance from me was weirdest of all!

Before anybody thinks of me as crazy, one has to understand that my Mom and I are just really close, for lack of a better term.  We’ve been through a lot together, which only made the bond that ties us together and the love we have for each other grow stronger.  Now that I’m married, I know full well that I have to be true to my vows and be with my husband and daughter, which is why I’m where I am now.  If only I could be at two places at the same.

I told my Mom in a card I gave her yesterday that 3 people complete me, she, hubby and Abby.  I am complete, happiest, at my best, and just plain contented when I am with them.  And for the greater part of my still very young married life, we’ve all been together.  I guess I’ll just have to be a little incomplete for now….until such time when we can all be physically together again.  I guess what makes me all the more sad is that I feel like I didn’t live up to my end of our silent pact of “walang iwanan”.

oOo

Notwithstanding whatever feelings of sadness I feel right now, I’m happy, just the same, for the 8 full days my Mom was with us here in Austin.  She was just plain great from NAIA on our way here upto the time she finally had to leave.  I wouldn’t have survived the trip to Austin if my Mom were not with me, what with Abby keeping our hands full!  :)  It was also refreshing to see my Mom in the kitchen washing dishes and cooking as if she did them all the time!  Filling up the kitchen cupboards and the fridge and shopping for necessary housewares also became more enjoyable!    We shared so many great meals, half of which were home-cooked and the rest from a cool variety of restaurants.  I loved the fact that for a brief moment, Dondi, Abby and I were able to whisk my Mom off from whatever worries were haunting her at home.   It’s also a good thing that my Mom became acquainted with our temporary location.  At least, she knows that we are in a good place and she won’t have to worry too much about us.
oOo

I’m a little better now, today being my first official day as a SAHMmy (stay-at-home-mommy).  I willed myself not to cry (too much).  While I owe it to my hubby and Abby to be a good wife and mommy, part of me, my heart and mind especially, will always long for my dear Mommy.
Mommy, I miss you terribly, and this you know very well by now. :)  There won’t be a day that’ll go by when I won’t think of you.  I may have left your side physically but I will always be with you in mind and spirit.  Promise to take good care of yourself more than anything and anyone else, ok?  Don’t worry about us.  We’re fine where we are.  We look forward to your next visit.  How’s next week?  Should you want to escape your “daily grind”, you know you have a house here waiting for you.  That’s the least we could do for all you’ve done for us. :)  Let’s promise to make next Mother’s Day a whole lot better, ok? :)  I love you very much.  Mmmwah!

This is my first official entry from my new location, Austin, Texas, not to mention the first for the month of May.  :)  If I’ve been conspicuously quiet for the past few days, it’s because I’ve been swamped with every possible thing associated with relocating to another place: packing, despedidas, last minute shopping, turn-over of work, etc.

Despedida Galore

You won’t believe how many get-togethers Abby and I took part in before we left:  (1) a night out with my high school friends at El Pirata in Eastwood City in early April; (2) dinner with my and hubby’s good friend, Jeric, who also happens to be Abby’s Ninong, at the Emperor’s Court in Renaissance Hotel exactly a week before we left; (3) cross-over buffet with my in-laws at Dad’s the Sunday before we left; dinner with a very dear family friend, Tito Rachy, also Abby’s Ninong, at Market Cafe in Hyatt Hotel and Casino; (4) afternoon tea at the Peninsual Manila with my family on Labor Day; and (5) dinner, again with my family and hosted by a dear family friend, in Kamay Kainan Greenhills on our last night in Pinas.  I can say that I’ve really already mastered the art of stuffing my face with food.  I thank all our family and friends who hosted such wonderful get-togethers before we left.  It’s like having last supper each time.  Yum!

Pack-Away

It took me almost a week to pack 5 suitcases, two each for Abby and me and 1 for hubby.  Everytime I’m scheduled to leave the country for whatever reason, I always vow to do packing ahead of time.  Never has that happened!  I always cram  to do my packing every single time!  My Mom and I hate to pack and unpack, really! :)  Well, who doesn’t?  I didn’t finish until an hour or two before we were scheduled to leave the house to head to the airport.  I was really sleep deprived the last few weeks before we left, moreso the very last week.

Hanggang sa Muli

Finally, the day I both dreaded and looked forward to at the same time came.  With all the members of my immediate family in attendance, Abby, my Mom (who is simply “accompanying” us) and I headed for the airport on Friday, 04 May.  I hate hate goodbyes!  It was awfully difficult to hug and kiss each of my loved ones goodbye.  Very simple words from my eldest niece, Kylah, tugged at my heart, “We’ll miss you.”  One has to understand that we are a very close-knit family, my mom and my and my brother’s families combined.  That’s why we’re always a strong group of 10 whenever we go out, and that is almost every single weekend!  I’m thankful that we left during summer vacation, when my pamangkins are spending their vacation at my Mom’s house, where Abby, hubby and I live. :)  Abby got to spend a lot of time with her cousins and I’m just too happy about that.  I’m sure Abby is, too!  I may be a strict Tita with a capital S, but I dearly dearly love each of my pamangkins so much.  They all gave me a headstart on parenting way before Abby came along.  I’m definitely going to miss being present in their important activities.  I started missing them way before we left.
En Route to Texas

It took us almost 24 freakin’ hours to get to Austin.  And any parent who has ever travelled with a child can very well sympathize with me!  It is so so so difficult to entertain a toddler on short flights, what more on long-haul flights?!  Abby was a year and a half years old when she took her first long-haul flight.  That time, it wasn’t very difficult because we left Manila in the evening, so the greater part of the flight was bed time for Abby.  This time, our flight was at 9am and we have to make a stop at Narita and Houston before finally getting off at Austin.  That’s one too many stops if you ask me!  it’s like riding a freakin’ jeepney!  Although Abby slept most of the time due to her cold medication, she was a little monster (a really cute one at that! ) when she was awake.  She was probably just entertaining herself: she refused to sit on her seat, refused to buckle up, insisted on sitting on my lap and at one point, laid on the floor (in the airplaine and at the Houston airport!).  I almost swore off (I think I actually did already!) going on long-haul flights with Abby until she’s about 7! 

You could just imagine my relief when we finally got to Austin.  Wheeew!  Abby and I were finally reunited with hubby after almost 3 months apart!  Another great thing is that I was reunited with a childhood friend, Bet-Bet, better known in the US as Maria (for Maria Elizabeth), who lives just a few minutes drive away from us.  We were only 12 when we last saw each other and she was gracious enough to pick us up at the airport!  She is instantly Abby’s favorite new Tita away from home, thanks to Tita Bet’s welcome gift, a Dora drawing set with huge activity pages, which are sure to keep Abby busy….for five minutes. ;)  I got a very cool welcome present from Bet-Bet as well, an auspicious centerpiece of bamboo plants, which she put together herself. ;)  Exactly what I would have wanted for our new home, stuff to usher in good luck!  It’s really nice to know someone, other than hubby, Abby and my Mom, in a new and unfamiliar place.  Thank you, God!

I’ve also already had the chance to touch base with my Cali-based relatives and my Kentucky-based (Oops! It should be North Carolina!) friend, Mia.  The support from relatives and friends as we take on this big adventure is really overwhelming.  We love you all!

Jetlag

I didn’t think I’d be battling jetlag because I was just too damned tired when we got to Austin and slept like a log the night we arrived.  But thanks to Abby, who’s body clock has gone haywire, I am now.  Abby actually slept well the first night, still because of her cold medicine.  But the second night was a whole different story.  She woke up at 2am and since she hasn’t been eating well since the time we left Manila, she asked for food.  So we were down in the kitchen/dining room at 2am.  She ate rice and chicken.  I thought she’d go back to sleep after that.  But no, my poor hubby had to suffer through the night while Abby and I sang the ABCs, do-re-mi, etc.  I tried to pretend to sleep, ignored Abby, etc.  Nothing worked.  She would nudge me and ask for help with some more songs.  Finally, at 6am, she dozed off.
This morning, it was a little better.  She woke up at 5am and asked for a donut.  So again, we went downstairs for some early feeding.  This time, she went back to sleep at around 7am.  I hope her sleeping and waking hours normalizes soon.

New Friends

Several weeks before we got here, I already made new friends on-line…with Ike and Wally…that’s IKEA and WALMART for you!  :D  I windowshopped for our dining and living room furnitures on-line and had hubby buy the one’s our humble budget could afford.   I’m proud of the fact that hubby was able to put together the dining room set, as well as the sofa and arm chair all by himself.  Clap!  Clap!  Clap! I love Ikea and Walmart!  I have yet to go to Ikea though, but Walmart I already paid homage to last Saturday.
Our first task on our first day was to fill up the fridge and the kitchen cupboard with REAL food.  Hubby, for the past 3 months has been subsisting on microwaveable, easy to prepare (read: unheathy!) meals. :)  We shipped a lot of dining and kitchen stuff, but won’t be getting them ’til mid-June.  While we are perfectly all right with disposables, we had to buy pots and pans, knives, and other cookwares so we can, well, cook.
The fridge and cupboard are now almost full.  Hindi na sayang ang lamig ng ref, which only had ice cream in the freezer, and a few eggs, hotdogs, mayo, mustard and a bottle of beer in the fridge section.  We still lack some things but we have a working kitchen now.  I also found a new friend in H-E-B, where we will probably do most of our grocery shopping. 
I don’t know if it’s the excitement of being in our new house (on lease only!) or simply being away from the pressures of the business, but my Mom has been very sipag with the kitchen chores: cooking and washing dishes, stuff she doesn’t normally do at home.  We’re still convincing her to extend her stay.  She can stay here until November, as stamped on her passport.  I don’t think we’ll succeed though.
The Adventure Continues

We’ve only been here less than 72 hours, yet we’ve already done quite a bit.  I’m in a daze, really!  Expect to hear more of our adventures in upcoming entries.

 G’bye y’all!….at least for now.