It's Going to be Alright

Is it just me or are people today indifferent to law and order? And where has good manners gone?

Is it just me or are people today callous to the feelings and sufferings around them? Why is there so much pain?

Is it just me or has the world turn a shade less bright in its urgency to spin around faster and faster?

I ask because I noticed that men do not think twice about shoving women to get inside jampacked MRT trains-- no mercy even for pregnant women. Buses stop in the middle of the highway to drop off or pick up passengers. Men and women shove and push to get closer to designated lines-- be they fastfood counter lines or communion lines at mass. Used to be when children where thrown into the air and safely caught in loving arms so as to fill the air with their gleeful laughter. Now I hear that children are being thrown directly into a busy street so that the pockets can be filled with much needed cash as settlement.

The headlines of the newspapers are no help either. Depression starts to set in and I wonder if the world is better off ending in one sudden giant explosion.

And just when I am about ready to believe that the end is near, some sense is knocked into my blue brain. The world is not ending-- yet. The sky is not falling and it really is all right. And why is this so? Because...

• I took a walk and noticed the blue-ness of the sky. Turning a corner, I came across a boganvilla bush in glorious bloom. Along the way, a neighbor smiled and waved across her fence. My heart was beating so and my breath was coming in strong with every stride I made.



• I helped cover up a young mother as she tenderly breast-feed her tiny baby in a ride home on the MRT.

• I watched a group of street kids enjoy a game of tag. I heard their laughter and saw the sweaty grins.

• The scholarship program initiated by women of my parish for a depressed area beside our subdivision is doing so well. The contributions have been bountiful and generous.




It's these big heart-warming little occurences that happen everyday that prove the world will continue to spin on course. As long as there is still beauty around us; as long as there is still laughter and some generous hearts-- it will be alright. All is not lost yet as long as there is a little love in this world.

========================

But is there hope or any good that can come out of stale bread? The answer is also-- YES! So don't be too quick to throw it to the dogs or garbage bin. For like everything else, it's a matter of seeking out the good. And for old bread, the good comes in the form of (or transformation to) delicious french toast. Try this very simple recipe. My family's: they're better than alright-- they're fantalicious!

Fantalicious French Toast
• 4 pcs sliced bread
• 1 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar or less
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (may be omitted)
• 1/4 tsp salt (may be omitted)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine

Garnish with:
• raisins or choco chips or nuts or slices of fruit(depends on how much you love them)

Beat the egg slightly and add the rest of the ingredients except for the garnishments. Soak the 4 pieces of bread in the milk-egg mixture. Press down with a spoon to make sure milk has soaked through.

Heat up a lightly coat a non-stick pan with butter or cooking oil. When ready, slip in your sliced bread-- one at a time or as many as your pan can accommodate without over crowding. In two to three minutes, flip the sliced bread over as it would have turned a nice shade of brown. Brown the other side before transferring to a plate.

Once you have all the slices cooked or toasted, arrange lovingly these slices on two plates. Sprinkle with your garnishments and maybe dust lightly with powdered sugar. May be served with maple syrup, some sausage links and or bacon.



After one bite, you will definitely declare that life is alright!