Sibling Rivalry

She was a person I loved to hate. My enemy, my adversary, my competitor.  She was always in the way. Taking what was mine.  And when she failed to get her way, she would run after me with murder in her eyes.

Funny that she thought of me in the same way.  She is G, my sister.  She was born a year after me.  She was a skinny child with sharp features.  She had piercing eyes and very curly hair.  She seemed to have a perpetual scowl on her face.  As pictures in old family albums would bear me out, her smile was a rarity.

We were the proverbial cat and dog.  Forever arguing, forever fighting. Tired of mediating between us, I remember my father setting up this rule: fight with words not with fists.  When it became impossible to follow this rule, my father made a new one: if you must hit each other, do so but avoid hitting the head.  And so it went.

It started with name calling, then a push, then a punch on the arm or a kick on the shin.  After that all hell broke loss giving way to a mad chase.  A door is slammed shut followed by loud banging on a locked door with shouts of revenge.

The fights did not stop as we became teenagers.  Most of the time, the fights revolved around the use of the telephone—what else! She would be on the phone for hours knowing that I was expecting a call.  I would then press the phone button to cut the call and she would then give chase. I would slam my bedroom door shut and she would bang and kick at my door  with vile threats of bodily harm.  Some things remained the same it seemed.

Then one day, she cuts short her college studies and decided to work.  She left for Manila and the house became quiet.  In between long absences, she would come home with suitcase full of exotic gifts from far off places.  There were chocolates and candies for everyone.  And best of all, there were stories of where she had been and the people she had met.  As time went by, we became the best of allies.  I cannot count how many times she had been generous with her support nor the times we had to hold on and be strong together.

We now look back fondly to our “war years” and have a good laugh.  And I am taking this opportunity to express my deepest affection.  I love you G…… there, I said it!  : )

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

A few weeks back, my sister, G, was visiting a younger sister, M. G had heard that M loved the way I prepared Afritada while I had visited. G decided to make Afritada for M.  G looked up my recipe and got busy.

When M came home from work, G presented her Afritada and asked, “Please taste my afritada and tell me if mine is better.”

“Please don’t make me do that,” M pleaded.

“Come on, I won’t get hurt.” Countered G.

After partaking of G’s Afritada, M declared, “Sorry, yours is not the better one”.

You can take the mad aggression out of siblings but you can’t take out the competitive spirit.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

I may have the better Afritada recipe, but I have to concede that G has the better American style meatloaf recipe (think: giant baked hamburger).  Give this a try and see how it measures up to the meatloaf you have tried in the past.    

G’s American Style Meat Loaf

You will need:

1/2 kilo lean ground beef

1/2 kilo lean ground pork

1 egg, beaten

1 can Campbell cream of mushroom

1 cup bread cubes - toasted and ground finely (may use store bought bread crumbs)

1/2 cup  white onion, minced

4 cloves garlic - minced

1 1/2 tsp salt

dash of pepper

5 strips of bacon for lining

What to do:

Mix the first 9 ingredients.  Line a loaf pan with the bacon, pour in meat mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours in a 350F oven.  When done, let rest for 10 minutes then invert meat loaf in another baking dish.  Broil for a few minutes to make the bacon crispy. 

Enjoy!

Note:

I sneaked in some diced carrots for color.  Since I did not have a loaf pan, I used aluminum foil.  I devided the mixture into two.  On one square of foil, I laid out the bacon on the foil before putting the mixture on top.

Then I rolled up the foil and sealed the ends. 

I did the same for the other half of the mixture.  I then baked the "rolls" but for a shorter duration (about 45 minutes) since the portions were now smaller.

Angels in Disguise

Angel of God, my Guardian dear, to whom His love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.


In a sermon given by Father B at our parish, he relates that he had seen Angels. They are everywhere. But these are not the spiritual Angels mentioned in the Bible. Nor do they take on the shape as painted by the great maestros. No visible wings. No golden halo. Not even in flowing white garments.

These are earthly angels that are with us--  family members , dear friends, those who do services for us and even strangers.  And because their gesture of kindness, generosity and protection are sometimes taken for granted, these angels go unnoticed.

This made me sit up and reflect on my own experience with earthly angels.

One time, I was all sweaty having rushed over to attend mass in a chapel in a depressed area. I could feel perspiration running down my nape. Not having any handkerchief or a paper napkin, I could not wipe the sweat on my brow. I was miserable as I listened to the priest.

Lo and behold, someone tapped my elbow. When I turned, I saw a young boy—about 6 or 7 years old with a roll of toilet paper still intact in its plastic bag. He was offering it to me. At first I did not understand. Until I saw the boy’s mother gestured that it was to wipe my face. The mother must have seen my discomfort and had given orders to her boy to get some tissue on credit at the sari-sari store outside the chapel. From the way the mother dressed, I knew that money was tight. I thanked her profusely for her offer.

She was an angel— in disguise.


Another time, I was in a foreign country with two of my friends. We had enjoyed ourselves immensely taking in the sights and sound that we forgot about the time. When we decided to go back to our hotel, we realized that it had become quite late and the darkness somehow made it difficult for us to figure a safe route back to the hotel. We tried to hail the occasional taxis that passed us but none of them would agree to take us. One rather rumpled taxi driver stopped but only to give us directions on how to walk back to the hotel. We were a sorry sight. But all was not lost, the driver who had earlier given us directions, came back and told us to get into his cab. He would take us to our hotel. At first he was grouchy as he explained that he felt responsible for our safety. He then checked himself and soon became more pleasant as he pointed out interesting landmarks along the way. We arrived safely at our hotel.

He was an angel—in disguise.


And how could I forget that time after a great earthquake rocked Manila. The earthquake happened shortly after lunch. After the shaking stopped, a lot of office workers poured out of their office buildings. I was one of them. For some reason, I remembered that there were no public transportation plying the streets. I remembered walking with a group of strangers determined to find a way home. At that time, there were no celphones; nor did I have a phone at home to call and check on my children. Then out of the blue, after walking more than 5 kilometers, a jeepney stopped and the driver and his companion offered the group a ride closer to our destination.

They were angels—in disguise.


These are but a few stories about the earthly angels I have met.   

Yes, there are angels sent my way-- to guide and to protect me.

But more importantly, I ask myself how often have I missed the chance to be an angel myself.

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Recently, I had dinner with three of my best friends. They have given me wise counsel on difficult situations; given me comfort when I was feeling low in spirit; and, stood by me when everything seem to be going against me.

They are angels in disguise as well. Their care and concern make them so easy to love.   Just as easy to love is this simple and light dessert I took to our dinner.

Fruits with Almond Jelly

3 cups Assorted fruits, chopped
(banana, apples, seeded grapes, orange slices, papaya)
plus 1 cup sweetened pineapple juice

or

1 large can fruit cocktail (do not drain)
1 package of Almond Jelly (prepare according to instructions, cool and slice into cubes

1 bottle each of kaong and nata de coco (drained of syrup) Optional

Mix all of these ingredients in a bowl. Chill before serving.