Philippines Vacation and Long Term Stay

by: Mrs. Aileen Soriano During New Year, gatherings can spice up when you have family games for adults and children. 1. Bring Me is the favorite of many. You can have a variation. The winner is the first one who brings what is being asked by the Game Master. 2. Pinoy Henyo of Christmas Characters is about guessing by the guesser while his group mates act out the Christmas Characters. A variation is also to answer the question of the guesser by yes or no. 3. The boat is sinking is also the children's favorite. 4. Treasure Hunt is great for Christmas too. You need a wide place for this. 5. Name that tune... You need a piano player and a 2 contestants. Each one is given a clue. Each contestant is given a chance to guess the song, the contestant who can guess with lesser notes is given a chance to guess and wins a point every time he guesses. Should he fail to guess, the other contestant may steal the chance.

by: Mrs. Aileen B. Soriano For most of us, classes starts on the 5th of January. So the 4th of January is actually a shake off of the season, even if Three Kings is still upcoming. Here are some nice things which you can do with your family during the last stretch of the Christmas Season. 28 December 2014 This is the Sunday of the Feast of the Holy Family. Attending Holy Mass together and having a lunch with the whole family is a good idea. In the afternoon, its best to have some Christmas carols and see the lights in the city. You may want to visit the Quezon City Memorial Circle or Maginhawa Street in Quezon City for a family dinner treat that is affordable. Otherwise, stay home and have a good movie that will inspire the family. 29 December 2014 is Monday. This is the last working day. Best to shop at this time because there are less people going to the market as they are working. That is if you are in Manila. Make sure all payments are actually paid on line, otherwise, you have to

by: Mrs. Aileen Soriano Today being the first Sunday of Christmas is actually the feast of the Holy Family. The week after the last day of the Dawn Mass went super fast. When Christmas comes in after the Christmas Midnight Mass, Noche Buena, gift opening and Christmas songs, we all look forward to the New Year. So what did we have for breakfast. 1. Breakfast: Sunny Side Up, ham and boiled rice, hot coffee and the famous pan de sal in the Philippines. 2. Lunch: We had a typical Chinese lunch: Egg soup, fresh steamed fish, sesame rolls, friend rice, century egg and sea weeds and siomai. 3. Supper: We had callos with lots of American Red pepper. I usually served this with lots of green fresh organic vegetables, mineral water.

by: Mary Ann Bolanos Here are some trade secrets which I learned from the fishermen and his wife: 1. Buy fish when it is not full moon. 2. Summer time is the best time to buy Lapu-Lapu. 3. Summer time is not the best time to buy tahong (bluish sea shells). 4. Check on the gills always. Smell it just to be sure its not food coloring. 5. Check on the eyes of the fish always, formalin cannot hide the freshness in the eyes. 6. Fishes are delicious when they are newly harvested. Quality goes down when they are frozen. First pick is always the best, but this is typically impossible for Manila residents, unless you want to market at 2.00 a.m. 7. Check on red tides during summer always.

by: Mary Ann Bolanos I took some photos of a Christmas Breakfast. This place is somewhere in Q.C., but I think with this photos this may be imitated in the homes of different families. The presentation may seem expensive, but its actually not. It requires ingenuity and planning. This will give me time to plan for the next upcoming Christmas 2015. Home made Yoghurt Recipe: Mother Yoghurt              Fresh Milk 1 L              Big Pan              small fire 1. Mix mother yoghurt and fresh milk. 2. Slowly heat the milk - -  small fire, typically 45 minutes. Make sure the mixture is stirred for 45 minutes. 3. Allow to cool, place in the ref. 4. Pour in champagne glass. 5. Add toppings: honey or fruits.                                                                                         Enjoy your yoghurt. Cheese and Ham Recipe for a super delicious Ham for Christmas: 1/2 C butter (the real one please) Kikkoman low salt soy sauce Honey Procedure: 1. Dip in ham in kikkoman with honey.

As we await Christmas, the birth of our Lord... we remember the long years of waiting, until "THE DAY" came.   The advent is an actual preparation for Christmas. We usually light the advent wreathe every Sunday Advent, till Gaudete Sunday.       And..yes of course  we also start thinking on  how to prepare for  the upcoming  Christmas  food preparation,  because when Christmas arrives there is a celebration.   Honestly, can wait till its Christmas day.  by: Charles Bolanos I am thinking of a costume party this New Year... This is my eggplant costume :)