My Favorite Days

Are Saturdays, Sundays, Non-Working Holidays and and and... Dress Down Days!

Our company has a dress code. Smart/Business (gray areas for me) casual from Mondays to Thursdays and dress down on Fridays and working holidays. For my simple mind, this means no denim jeans, tees and walking/running shoes 80% of the time that I'm working. Now when weather is bad, we get dress down days... in consideration of the perils of commuting in office attire. Like today. Hope you and your loved ones are safe and warm by the way.

I love my job and I love my employer. I will say that over and over and over again. They have given me so much it makes me want to cry everytime I think about it. But I am not crazy about the dress code. I comply in respect of the policy but my entire being is just totally opposed to it. I agree that dress codes bring the perception of credibility and professionalism a notch higher than my flats will ever do. But I don't think that it is necessary for people in jobs that do not require face to face interactions with customers and stakeholders.

I am a knowledge worker.

I can do what's required of me with a laptop, a phone with mute and speaker functions, a reliable headset and a stable internet connection. I can be in a conference call in my undies and scratch my armpits to my heart's content and nobody will know.

The landscape of the corporate world has changed and continues to evolve as I type these words. We are seeing a steady increase in the number of telecommuters and work from home professionals. I have had several productive shifts in coffee shops. I hope that the entire world catches on and stops insisting on traditions put on paper using a typewriter.



Would love to have this shirt!
Image is from here 

In Suspended Disbelief

Naniniwala ako dun sa sinasabi na walang tama o maling emosyon. Na nagiging tama o mali ka lang kapag sinabi o ginawa mo ang kung anumang karugtong ng nararamdaman mo kasi dadaloy ang salita o inasal sa patong patong at sanga-sangang embudo ng mga depinisyon.

Kaya naman maingat ako sa kahit anong lumalabas sa bibig ko. Ayokong bigyan ng lisensya ang kahit sino na ilagay ako sa timbangan. Hindi dahil mahalaga sa akin ang maging sakto o tama. Pakialam ko ba sa neknek mo diba? Basta ayoko lang nang tinitingnan ako.

Tapos ang pasakalye.

Kanina, kumawala sa bibig ko ang isang halimaw.

Inutusan kasi ako ni A na sabihin kay B na ibigay sa amin "now na!" ang C. Mahaba ang nakagigimbal na paliwanag kung bakit. So sinabi ko kay B at ang resulta ay sumagot siya ng pabalang. Na-bad trip at nag-alburoto si B. Bawi si A. Kulang na lang sabihing, joke lang yun ha. Ako ngayon ang mukhang tangang kontrabida. Tinanong ko si A kung may mali ba akong ginawa. Masyado ko raw tinaranta si B at hindi dapat ganun. Para akong pinaglaruan. At wala akong nasabi kundi (hindi diretso kay A pero maraming nakarinig)...

Pasalamat ka wala na akong dignidad.
Kung medyo bata pa ako, mag-aaway tayo.

Gusto kong isiping ito na ang maturity, ito na iyon. Gusto ko ring maniwala na alam ko lang ang mahalaga sa akin at ang mga ganitong bagay ay inililigo lang. Gusto kong magmalaki na ito ay sakripisyong wagas. Pero hindi kumakagat ang totoo sa gusto.

Nahihiya ako sa sarili ko. Sana ay mapatawad niya ako. Iyun lang iyon. Iyon na lang sana iyon.

Nilagang Sayo-Te Amo

May manok na. Yey?


Throwback: Nung vegan pa sila.

(Recipe ito ng nanay ko, palakpakan naman diyan! Ito ay mainam sa mga nagaambisyong mag-diet, magpaka-healthy o sadyang ginagahol lang sa oras ng pagluluto.)

INGREDIENTS

Sayote (Google mo, may English yan!) 
Chicken (skinless fillet kung nagbabantay ng BP)
Garlic and Onion
Salt and Pepper
Chicken Bouillon Cubes (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Maglagay ng swabeng dami ng tubig sa kaldero.
2. Ilagay ang sayote na hiniwa ayon sa binubulong ng iyong damdamin.
3. Matapos ang 15-20 minuto (o basta kapag mukhang hinog na sa kulo ang sayote, ilahok ang manok).
4. Antayin silang maluto. Kung wala ka ng ipin, mas matagal ang paghihintay para madgurog ang sayote (pero titigas ang manok so choose wisely).
5. Ilagay ang mga pampalasa. Chicken cubes ang madalas ilagay pero hindi na kami gumagamit nun, (isang taon na yata ang nakalipas). Asin/patis at paminta ang kakampi kung ayaw makaramdam ng awa sa sarili.
6. Tapos na. May gusto ka pa ilagay? Tapos na,  ok? Tanggapin na natin.

Parallels

4AM. Cold and rainy break of dawn.
Work just ended, headed home.
On the sidewalk lay a mother and her little boy
Must be less than three years of age, he was naked,
Latched to his mother's breast.
I was cold but not as cold as he could ever be.
She is homeless. They both are.
But together aren't they home and free?

4AM. Cold and rainy break of dawn.
Work just ended, headed home.
To an empty nest.
I wonder if my children are feeling cold,
I rarely see them, they are 6 and 1 year old.
We live in separate homes.
Yet we are homeless. They both are.
As homeless as we could ever be?

4AM. Cold and rainy break of dawn.
Work just ended, headed home.
The poor.
The homeless.
In purest forms and miserable shadows.
United in wrath,
Surrender in parallel scorn.
At 4AM. Cold and rainy break of dawn.


*Inspired by a real scene along Ayala Avenue.

What do you want to do?

Last year in a mall's breastfeeding room. A little boy who's obviously just sleepy won't stop crying. His mom stops feeding him to ask "ok tell mommy what you want to do, sleep or play?"

And the boy says in between sobs. "I just want to cry."

It's one of those days for me today.

Blame it on the rain, they'd probably say.

Creamy Corned Beef Spaghetti

Disclaimers:
1. This is not a paid ad nor a sponsored post. Brands are specified because I have been cooking this for so many years now and have learned to trust my preferred options.
2. More calories, more fun. This isn't a very healthy option.
3. Measurements are "to taste." I have not had the time to measure.
4. I am selling the recipe if you are willing to buy and call it your own. PhP 100,00 if you are one of the brands mentioned in this post.  :p





INGREDIENTS:
2 Big Cans of Purefoods Corned Beef
2 Boxes of Nestle or Alaska Crema All Purpose Cream
1 Medium Box of Eden QuickMelt Cheese
Tomato Sauce (250-500 mg)
8 pcs Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdog (optional)
Half a head of garlic (8-10 cloves)
1 medium sized onion
Salt and pepper
3/4-1K spaghetti noodles (cook it whichever way you want)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Sauté minced garlic and onion in two tablespoons of cooking oil.
2. Add corned beef and give it a couple of minutes for trivial niceties and courtesy introductions with your garlic and onions. Use this time to break stubborn family ties in the strands of beef (you want to spread out the glory of those chunks that escaped the machine).
3. Add tomato sauce. Wait for a little over five minutes to avoid conflict with the new kid in the pan.
4. Add hotdog. Because. Hotdog!
5. Stir well because tomato sauce has antisocial tendencies and will tend to stick to the bottom of the pan.
5. Shift to medium fire and add your all purpose cream and smile. This social butterfly will make everyone gel in less than 5 minutes.
6. Add your quick melting cheese. It only takes two minutes to be cheesy. And it's totally worth it.
7. Shift to low fire then add salt and pepper to taste. Careful with the salt. Cheese likes to be the center of attention.
8. Stay on low fire for five minutes before you switch off the stove. Because gentle transitions apply to all things bright and beautiful.
9. Make an informed decision. Mix noodles with sauce or let your "customers" do their own version of bliss.
10. Wash everything that you used for cooking. It's good for the soul.

Gloomy Monday

TLO (The Little One) has yet to say her first word. She is 6 years old. It is depressing for us, but not as frustrating for her, when we don't understand what she's trying to say.

Seven is a critical age for children with Global Development Delay. At this age, the child goes through an assessment that may lead to a final diagnosis of "mental retardation." With only a few months before this big day, her doctor suggested for our family to make a huge sacrifice. She has to stay with her grandparents, in a home where there are more kids and people compared to our own home. Hence the sad arrangement - we only see them (her and TLO#2) from Saturday morning to early Sunday evening.

A couple of weeks ago, she started throwing tantrums when we were about to leave. I couldn't understand what it was about until yesterday. She sobbed quietly when we were saying goodbye. Her courage and pain crushed our hearts. Especially at one point when she thought we were going to take her home with us and she beamed with joy and she started saying goodbye to everyone. It did not help that her brother, the little boy, also started crying. They have learned the pains of goodbye and we were not prepared. They used to not care when our weekly visit came to an end. That hurt too but this new farewell scenario just made us want to change our lifestyle... but can we afford it?

There are a million things to consider. Work, mine and the hubby's, is right in the middle of the messiest mess of our lifetime.

Please pray for miracles to come our way.