Priceless Christmas for Us

Christmas is supposed to be a time for merrymaking but for us it meant a time of reaching out, of extending helping hands and helping others see that beyond the clouds, the sun is still shining.  

My husband and I were tasked to assist in the activity spearheaded by the Local Government Unit of Gensan for the benefit of the dependents of missing fishermen due to Typhoon Pablo on December 23, 2012 at the GSC Sports Complex.

I was with the team who assisted little children of those missing fishermen find a little joy in spite of what's happening around them.  There were storytelling, playing games, and giving of gifts for the kids. Added bonus to the activity was the presence of mascots Jollibee and Hetty that really brought excitement to our young spectators' eyes.

The innocence of these children is simply enviable.  They still managed to give all of us a smile and were very willing  to seize the moment.  Their fathers are all missing for almost a month now and yet their families together with government agencies and NGOs are still not giving up in the search and rescue operation.

I was happy and sad at the same time doing the job of making these children see that there is still a glimmer of hope. Deep inside I know that survivors at this point in time is already nil.  I am just praying for God's mercy for the children and their families.  

We made the kids so happy that day . . . I just hope that in our own little way we still can in the days to come.

A day after, the whole family had our gift-giving for the wards of Maria Goretti's Home for Girls.  My girls were more than happy to share our blessings with the girls under the care of the Passionist Sisters.

 Many thanks to our friends and Olaer Development Corporation for helping us with the goodies we gave to Maria Gorettti's girls.

 What we've done may be temporary in nature but we hope it  made a difference in the lives of many.

Merry christmas, everyone!

A Biko With a Story

The cooking mom got the time to prepare something special for our noche buena. Prepared a good amount of food to feast on but I've got a piece I considered extraordinary - the biko (glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk and sugar).  What makes it so special?

Well, basically it's a simple delicacy but it was embedded with so much love and passion from the mountains of Capas, Tarlac to our kitchen here in General Santos City.

The Aeta foster family of my daughter  during their immersion program in the mountains of Tarlac gave her a  bagful of mountain violet sticky rice as token. These good Aetas were the former settlers around Mt. Pinatubo who resettled in Tarlac to find a living. Aside from the sticky rice, they also gave my daughter sinfully delicious newly harvested brown rice.  It was so generous of them.

the so unselfish, so generous foster family of my daughter
 (Nanay Melinda, Tatay Gaspar and their kids with my daughter and other ADMU students)

Rafee handcarried the gifts all the way from Manila to Gensan.  I was almost in tears when I heard  her story of where these products came from. I wanted very much to say THANK YOU to her foster family and let them know how I appreciated their gesture but it's impossible to get through them.

So on christmas eve, I cooked the very precious gifts from our Aeta friends and shared these with people dear to us whom we requested to say a little prayer for this family who epitomizes the true spirit of christmas - to give and share without expecting anything in return!

To you, my dear friends from the mountains of Tarlac, our paths may not cross very soon but you will always be included in our prayers for God to keep you safe and healthy always!

Thank you for reminding us the true essence of Christmas!

Perfect Breakfast

freshly picked mangoes sliced into bits 

and steamed fresh from my garden camote tops 

with sinamak(spiced native vinegar) as dip -
pair this with plain rice
and fried daing (dried fish) 

Oh my! 

Family Bonding

bonding time with my hubby and kids

It was my youngest daughter Jasmine's 7th birthday last Monday.  A day before, we had a pre-birthday bonding at SM City Gensan.  It was a blast going out on a date with my hubby and six bubbly kids.  Hoping for a repeat soon before my eldest daughter leaves for Manila for her studies.

Raising Itiks

What's keeping me busy nowadays?  watchamacalitiks ;-D

Looking forward to sell balut (fertilized duck egg) soon . . .

S'more Party by the Pond

exciting Saturday afternoon with my kids

Merriam-Webster Definition of S'MORE: a dessert consisting usually of toasted marshmallow and pieces of chocolate bar sandwiched between two graham crackers 

Heavenly!

SM Supermarket Committed to Cold Chain

Here's a birds-eye view of what SM Supermarket has to offer!

As it opens on August 10 in the Tuna Capital of the Philippines, SM City General Santos brings you a consumer-safe and hygienic retail service with SM Supermarket.  For 27 years, SM Supermarket provides consumers with quality products processed and treated with utmost concern for food safety.

Aside from the usual sanitary practices such as the use of gloves and tongs in handling fresh products and the strict implementation of proper grooming for employees, SM Supermarket is committed to a process called cold chain.

What is cold chain?

Cold chain involves the exposure of the perishable goods like meat, poultry, fish, and even vegetables to a constant low temperature starting from their harvest all the way to their display in grocery stores.  This process preserves the shelf life and prevents the thriving of bacteria.

SM Supermarket makes sure that their products are sourced from suppliers which employ cold chain.  Their meat products, in particular, are certified by the National meat Inspection Service.  The supermarket then continues to adhere to the process for the storage of products, storing them in state-of-the-art freezers and refrigerators to keep them fresh and safe for consumption.

The process of cold chain never stops until goods are purchased.  In the vegetable and fruit section of SM Supermarket, items are constantly subjected to cold temperatures while on display.  Meat products are kept on glass cases to prevent contamination, while fish products are iced and some are even alive and kept in aquariums.

Added safety features

There are "sneeze guard" glass panels that keep fresh items safe and prevent them from being exposed to bacteria or virus as shoppers go around checking the items out.

Also, SM Supermarket uses humidifiers for vegetables and seafood to trap moisture ad prevent dehydration to keep them fresh longer.

Furthermore, tongs, gloves and plastic bags are provided to assist shoppers in choosing and handling fresh items while store personnel are required to wear aprons, spit guards and hairnets at their respective stations.

Freshness delivered to every home

By adhering to cold chain and maintaining freshness of products from source to storage and display, SM Supermarket delivers to every home only the freshest foods families can enjoy.

(thanks to Nanards for this very beautiful pic)