Hypertension and Baguio City

Just got back from Baguio City for the annual MC Weekend of Couples for Christ.  This trip made me aware  that I can never live in the mountains.  The moment my husband and I arrived at our hotel, I felt different already.  I didn't blame it on the high altitude at first but later realized that the mountain altitude had something to do with it.  From our arrival up to our departure for Manila, I had an elevated blood pressure.  The maintenance medications that I took for my hypertension were not effective in stabilizing my blood pressure. 

I have been hypertensive since I was twenty seven years old.  My hypertension was triggered by my first pregnancy.  My obstetrician-gynecologist hoped that my hypertension will disappear once I was not pregnant anymore but it was in vain.  The hypertension stayed up to this day. 

On reading about the relationship of hypertension with high altitude, I found out that as you travel higher, there is less oxygen in the air that you breathe.  With less oxygen getting inside the body, it responds by pumping more blood thereby increasing the heart rate.  In my vocabulary, the increase in heart rate is palpitation.  Palpitation is my tell tale sign that I have high blood pressure.  True enough, when my doctor-friend from Couples for Christ checked my blood pressure, the sphygmometer read 170/90.

To cope with the elevated blood pressure, I rested, refrained from walking up and down and took my medicines.  The slow pace stabilized my blood pressure for a while but it was not my normal blood pressure.  Once in Manila, it started to stabilize only after a day from arrival.  

For future vacations, I should keep in mind to stay away from high altitude places if I want to enjoy.  I will surely miss the bright colors of the Baguio blooms that dot the mountainside and the cool weather. 

Mom's Cooking

What's it with Mom's cooking?  Through the years, I observe that I always looked forward to eating from her dining table.  Even simple viands take a different twist when she herself did the cooking.   I guess what makes Mom's cooking special is that it reminds me of home and at the same time those viands come with stories of my growing up years.

With Mommy

I remember that when I had morning sickness while pregnant with my firstborn, I had a really difficult time.  I would feel sick and vomit after each meal.  I dreaded eating but I have to take something otherwise I would be nauseous.  When my husband and I were invited for Dad's birthday dinner, I succeeded in eating Mom's specialties without throwing up afterwards.  Maybe I took comfort that I was still her little girl even though I already had a family of my own.

My mother was a teacher and took up Home Economics as a specialization.  In her younger years, she was passionate in cooking and baking.  We grew up to her style of cooking even if the cooking was done by a cook.  She trained our cook well to cook like her.  My father knew/knows good food so the cook better shape up.  It is in this environment that I grew up in. 

Up to the last day of my single life, I couldn't cook a meal for dear life.  We always had a cook in the household so there was no need for me to help out in the kitchen.  I learned to cook out of sheer desperation ...  my husband and I's first helper left us after a month.  I was forced to learn cooking by asking Mommy how to do a certain dish.  Later on, I realized that I was heavily influenced by Mommy.  My standard of taste was Mom's.  I wonder if my children will miss my cooking after they have settled in their own homes years from now?

To this day, she still supervises and cooks on special occasions like Christmas and New Year.  I guess habits die hard.

Cooking sotanghon for Noche Buena with Encar, her cook, looking.

Goodbye My Friend

Last November 28, I lost a dear friend to uterine cancer.  News of her death reached me through Facebook.  Her death came as a shock to me as I wasn't aware that she was very sick and I came face to face with my own mortality.  I learned from her husband, Oliver, that she came to know of her cancer only six months ago and that it was already at stage 4.  Thank you Oliver for posting about it on Facebook, allowing me a chance to say goodbye to her.

I met Guia Librojo Senia at De La Salle University when we found ourselves blockmates of section LIA 23.  From our first meeting at the ENGLONE classroom at the LS Building up to graduation from BS Applied Economics, we were inseparable.  We were such, that the number of subjects that we weren't classmates did not exceed the fingers of my hand.  Since we took the same course, we had the same set of subjects and electives.  The times we were not classmates were due to the enrolment schedule that La Salle experimented on every semester then later on every trimester.

BS Applied Economics, De La Salle University

When we had the whole afternoon to hang around as the next class was at 6 o'clock in the evening, we spent some of our vacant periods at Guia's hometown at Cabuyao, Laguna.  Her mother served us sumptuous dishes that I and our other classmates were so happy to indulge in.  These getaways allowed all of us to get to know her family.  I met them again at Guia's wake and I was so touched when they still remember me from those countless fiestas that I attended and from Guia's stories.

My only regret is that we were not able to spend time together recently.  The last time we saw each other was when she was one of the secondary sponsors at my wedding almost twenty-five years ago.  Last year, we chatted on Facebook and she invited me to visit her at her bakeshop in Cabuyao.  We never got to it as we were both busy with our own lives.  It also pains me that I wasn't able to offer her prayers during her illness, not able to visit her and share her pain.  I take comfort though that she is with the God that she served faithfully all her life, away from all the pain and basking in His glory.  So long my friend.  Put a good word about me to God. 

Kitchen Equipment I Can't Live Without

This article is a follow up to my earlier articles, Surviving Maidless Days...Months and The Art of Coping in a Maidless Existence.  Hopefully this will be my last article on the subject of "domestic survival'.  I have a housemaid for a week already and I am counting the days to liberation from housework.

Housemaid or no housemaid, there are kitchen equipment I couldn't live without.  Topping the list is my microwave oven.  My microwave oven is a remnant of my food cart business days. It reheats both food prepared earlier and left overs or pangat, short for pangatlong luto (literally means thrice recooked).  Another function that it does is to thaw frozen meat or fish.  Thawing becomes a necessity when I spend more time outside doing errands that I failed to move meat or fish from the freezer to the refrigerator hours ahead.

The rice cooker has been around for more than thirty years already that I haven't learned to cook rice the usual way.  If I don't use a rice cooker in cooking rice, chances are the outcome is not fit for eating as it always comes out charred.  Having a rice cooker is a big help as it eliminates the time waiting for the rice to be cooked when using an ordinary cooking pot otherwise it will be burned.  Just wash the rice, put the desired number of cups of water and switch on.  Once the rice is cooked, it will turn off on its own while keeping it warm.

Rice Cooker

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

My portable induction cooker is a steal at P1,700.  I bought it years ago when it first came out of the market.  It cooks foods faster and it is perched conveniently on top of the dining room counter.  Because the dining room is very near my work station, it is easier for me to check on my cooking while doing other things.  No problem on charred food.

Portable Induction Cooker

The only downside of using the induction cooker is not all cookware are compatible with it.  It requires cookware with magnetic bottom.  Fortunately, I purchased earlier a cookware set that I paid in 90 days because of its steep price.  I intend to get the most from this pricey cookware by using it regularly.  

Another gadget that I can't do without is the turbo broiler.  I just replaced my first turbo broiler with a new one last month as it conked out already after ten years of service and countless Turbo Chickens.  With my new turbo, I still cook Turbo Chicken using different marinades (depends on who among my three children is requesting), pork belly barbecue and other fried recipes and eat minus the fat.  Talk about eating "unhealthy" food without the guilt.

Turbo Broiler

My list will not be complete without my old reliable pressure cooker.  It tenderizes beef and other meat that requires more time to make tender.  Aside from tenderizing, my pressure cooker comes in handy in making my Portuguese sardines.  

Pressure Cooker

What about you?  What kitchen gadget can't you live without?

Putting Up My Online Store

I've been busy for the past two weeks putting into reality my dream of having an online store.  I timed putting up My Gift Shop this October to take advantage of the Christmas gift buying frenzy.  I sell scented candles, perfumes inspired by well-known brands and cosmetics.  

My Gift Shop

My store should address the needs of why people buy online in the first place.  From my experiences in buying items be it food or what have you, booking flight reservations and  paying for seminars through my credit cards or through cash payment portals, my main argument was convenience.  I need not go out of my house to get things that otherwise could be purchased from the web.  True there are fees like delivery rates that a buyer shoulders when buying online but if you thing about it, the delivery charge is just a small price to pay.  Try putting a price to the fuel that your car consumed in going to the nearest mall to buy that item.  Chances are it is cheaper paying for the delivery charge than going to the physical store.

Another thing that makes buying online attractive is that it is most of the time cheaper.  Sellers have minimal overhead expenses maintaining an online store.

When my dream of an online store was about to be hatched, I thought of what items to sell bearing in mind the reasons why people buy online.  I thought of gift items for my first ever online store as Christmas is just around the corner.  Again from past experience, home decor like scented candles, toiletries, perfumes and cosmetics are popular gift items.  But for my retailing business to succeed, I have to partner with payment gateways like PayPal, Cashsense, banks, and telecommunications companies for Smart Money and GCash to make it very convenient on the buyer.  This is literally shopping at your fingertips!

At first I was apprehensive in buying online because of the many horror stories that I heard about credit card scams that came about from divulging credit card information when purchasing online.  This has already been addressed with the emergence of bank debit cards, virtual cards and cash payment gateways like PayPal, Cashsense, GCash and Smart Money.  No need to give out credit card details.

It not enough to have payment gateways, it pays to partner with a reliable courier service company like Xend, OCS, LBC, JRS, Aboitiz ToGo.  Delivery charges are shouldered by the buyer.

To date My Gift Shop is still a work in progress.  I am customizing the theme of my website to give it a distinct and personalized touch with the help of professionals.  I also attended the PayPal 101 Workshop under Eireen Diokno Bernardo to know more about PayPal and putting up an online store.  I am also not letting up on finding unique items both locally and internationally.

I hope dear readers you will visit My Gift Shop.  We know we have something that will appeal to you that you or your loved one will treasure.

True Friendship

For the past weeks, the news feed of my Facebook account had been flooded with sayings, words of wisdom and quotations, ranging from the serious to the hilarious.  One of the postings that caught my attention was about true friendship.  Here goes:  

We may have a lot of good friends, but a best friend is hard to come by.  At least for me.  I treasure all my dear friends but it can't be helped that a few stand out as my best friends.  My best friends were there for me during the good times as well as the bad times.  Even though some may be thousand of miles away, I know that they are just a phone call away.  Physical presence is not necessary to show their love and support but if they happen to be around town or nearby, that is a bonus.  

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To all my best friends, thank you for your friendship, love and moral support.  Looking forward to sharing menopausal tales, karaoke sing-along nights, coffee breaks, birthday celebrations, online chat sessions and what have you. 

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Tinolang Free Range Chicken

I wrote an article on free range chicken farming because I heard a lot of positive things about free range chicken.  Aside from the health benefits that one will get from eating chicken raised as natural as possible, advocates of healthy living said that this kind of chicken tastes more natural and is tastier.  

When speaking about healthy chicken what always comes to mind is the native chicken.  Filipinos who spent their growing up years in the provinces know only of one variety of chicken, the native one.  These fend for themselves and propagate naturally.  Their meat is sought after for tinola, chicken ginger soup with green papaya and chili leaves.

Magnolia chicken came out with their own line of free range chicken lately.  I welcomed this development as the bird only costs P145/kilo, a price much lower than my expectation.  Native chickens from the wet markets cost more.  At least, eating healthy chicken has become affordable compared to the other brands that are pricey.  Not all supermarkets carry free range chicken, though.  

I bought two pieces from HiTop Supermarket, one for tinola and the other one I intend to do as adobo.  The meat looks leaner than the ordinary dressed chicken which is plump.  The ordinary one also comes whiter than the free range one which is reddish.  I was surprised that the healthy chicken cooked easily like the ordinary one.  No need to use the pressure cooker to have tender chicken.  Come dinner time, I cooked tinola and paired it with grilled milkfish.  What a hearty and healthy dinner we had.

Bon appetit!