Sticking Together

“It could have been fatal had you waited another 8 hours to bring your brother in.”

This was the statement given by the attending physician as he went through the initial medical tests of my dear cousin, T.

For close to three weeks, T was confined in the ICU.  Oxygen and dextrose lines, heart and BP monitoring devices were attached to him.  He could hardly move and breathing was difficult.  His family kept a tight watch over him.   Without much ado, whatever differences they had with each other was quickly set aside just as quickly as the deadly bacteria took hold of my cousin. They shared one prayer—T be given the grace to get well again. During those uncertain days, love was the only force that gave the family the fortitude to take each day as it came.

Bliss

Last week, I was very privileged to witness what heaven might feel like-- twice! Two celebrations of love— one happening a day after the other.

Love is in the Air

Weddings get me all sentimental and the one I attended last Saturday was no exception. I was happy to have attended the wedding of the son of a very good friend. Her son was marrying a lovely girl who possessed a most charming smile and eyes that sparkled. It was a Christian wedding set in a mango orchard and the venue could not have been more idle for the whimsical themed event.

I could not help feel teary eyed specially when the groom and the bride exchanged vows they personally wrote to say to each other. Just thinking about how to describe my feelings got me all “brain tied”. Maybe it’s because I once more was face to face with a love that is so brand new and precious; maybe it’s because it brought memories of my own wedding day; and, maybe, it made me recognize how far my husband and I have gone together.

Suffice to say, love was definitely being carried on the breeze that gently moved among the mongo leaves that day.

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I could not help remember the lines of a song from the “King and I”.  It expresses more or less what I felt.

I share the lyrics and a link for your listening pleasure.

HELLO YOUNG LOVERS

Hello young lovers, whoever you are,
I hope your troubles are few.
All my good wishes go with you tonight,
I've been in love like you.

Be brave, young lovers, and follow your star,
Be brave and faithful and true,
Cling very close to each other tonight.
I've been in love like you.
I know how it feels to have wings on your heels,
And to fly down the street in a trance.
You fly down a street on the chance that you meet,
And you meet--not really by chance.
Don't cry young lovers, whatever you do,

Don't cry because I'm alone;
All of my memories are happy tonight,
I've had a love of my own.
I've had a love of my own, like yours-
I've had a love of my own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2yeH7uTX88&feature=related

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A delicious buffet was prepared for the guests in the reception area that was playfully decorated with pinwheels, pastel ribbons ,buntings and delicate flowers. And pretty cupcakes took center stage instead of the traditional wedding cake.

This was keeping with the whimsical theme.

Memorable to me was the tender Chicken Salpicao. I had asked for another serving—it was that good. The taste was so memorable that after a couple of days, I tried to replicate it at home for lunch. Below is my interpretation. It was not exactly the same as that served in the wedding but it delighted my daughter and my husband. I now have a Salpicao recipe I can call my own.

Curly Cook's Chicken Salpicao

800 grams skinned and deboned chicken thighs- cut into bite size pieces
1 head of garlic, chopped finely
2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce + 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoon kikoman light soy sauce + 1 tablespoon
Salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Marinate the meat in the sauces ( 2 T each of worcestershire sauce and kikoman sauce) add about a third of the chopped garlic. Set aside for about 15-30 minutes.

Heat the oil and melt the butter in a skillet. When very hot, add the rest of the garlic and fry until golden.

Remove the garlic and set aside. Now add the chicken slices and remember not to over crowd or you will steam up the chicken and not fry it.

When done, place on a plate. Cook the rest of the chicken pieces. When you have cooked all of the chicken pieces, place them all back into the skillet. Add the remaining worcestershire sauce and kikoman sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Give this a good toss and transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle the fried garlic liberally on top of the chicken. Enjoy with lots of steaming white rice.

Good and Ready

As I sadly look on at the coffin of my friend’s husband, I wonder how one so young should die so soon.

I am certain that he still had so many things left undone; so many words left unsaid; so many of life’s experience yet to go through. But yet, he is gone. Leaving my friend to take care of their children. Leaving family and friends behind with hardly a warning or a last good-bye.

Why?

For those of us who believe in life after death, I would like to imagine that each one of us was born with a set of spiritual targets that have to be achieved before we are “released” from all earthly anxieties. I would like to think that my friend’s husband had completed the spiritual tasks assigned to him. And only God would know what these tasks were…

There are no words right now that can comfort my friend and her children. But in time, I would like to believe that their sadness will be replaced with the joy of knowing that her husband, and their father, has been released from all worldly concerns-- so very insignificant in the whole scheme of things. He now has a bigger task of watching over them— more closely from a better vintage point.



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Here’s my take, in song form, on what could be a possible basic spiritual target.

Did I fill the World with Love?



In the morning of my life I shall look to the sunrise.
At a moment in my life when the world is new.
And the blessing I shall ask is that God will grant me,
To be brave and strong and true,
And to fill the world with love my whole life through.

(Chorus)
And to fill the world with love
And to fill the world with love
And to fill the world with love my whole life through



In the noontime of my life I shall look to the sunshine,
At a moment in my life when the sky is blue.
And the blessing I shall ask shall remain unchanging.
To be brave and strong and true,
And to fill the world with love my whole life through

(Chorus)



In the evening of my life I shall look to the sunset,
At a moment in my life when the night is due.
And the question I shall ask only I can answer.
Was I brave and strong and true?
Did I fill the world with love my whole life through?


(Chorus)

The Truth of the Matter

What makes the heart skip a-beat, eyelashes a-flatter, and steps a-lighter...... Is it....
a) a bonus in your payslip?
b) hunger?
c) the Bird Flu?

Could it be love?

I would like to share with you an incident some 10 years ago that somehow helped me focus on what love really is. One day my daughter noticed my son intently whispering sweet nothings on the phone. She brings this phenomena to my husband's attention and ask, "Daddy, what is love?"

My husband ever the teacher wanting to have his student grasp the lesson in one easy step began with, "Well, what your kuya is experiencing right now is a lot of excitement and the feeling of lightness. That is not love. Because love is boring. Now go ask your mom why..."

As I was there at the time of enlightenment, I did not know whether I should be elated because my husband considered that what we have was love or I should be depressed because my husband considered our "love" boring.

Well, not one to let it go without clarification, I asked, "What do you mean by boring?"

Well, love indeed is boring, explained my husband, because it is as constant as night follows day; it is as comfortable as warm bedroom slippers; and it is dependable as paid-up insurance.

Okey, okey, I conceded that my husband had a point and well, also pulled a fast one on me too. But love is trust and so I will once more put on something red because Love-is-thine day is just around the corner.

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Don't have a red outfit but would like to mark a special date? Why not try out baking some chocolate cupcakes that is sure to fire up those old fashion feelings.



Old Fashion Chocolate Cupcakes

2 cups all purpose flour
2 t baking soda
½ t salt
¾ c cocoa

½ c butter
3 eggs
2 cups brown sugar

½ c milk
1 T vinegar
1 t vanilla
1 cup hot water

Set oven to 350 degrees. Drop cupcake liners into 2 12-cupcake pan.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa. Set aside.

Cream butter until light yellow in color. Then alternately add sugar and eggs. Begin with the sugar and end with the sugar. ( divide the sugar into 4 so you add ½ c sugar then an egg, and so on and so forth)

Mix in the vinegar to the milk. Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the batter—in four . Begin with the flour and end with the flour. (divide the flour mixture into 4 so you add about ½ c flour then 1/3 portion milk, then flour and so on and so forth).

Once well blended, add vanilla and the hot water. Stir until mixture is of smooth consistency.

Pour into rectangular pan or cupcake pan and put into the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes for the rectangular pan or until toothpick comes up clean when inserted in the middle of cake. For cupcakes, it will take only 20-25 minutes to bake.

When done, cool on rack. You may ice this with your favorite frosting. For the cupcakes, I like to frost them with Fluffy White Frosting. Then sprinkle some colored candy bits to give them a happy and festive look.

Fluffy White Frosting
2 egg whites
¾ cup sugar
1/3 c light corn syrup
2 T water
¼ t salt
¼ t cream of tartar
1 t vanilla

Combine first 6 ingredients in top of double boiler. Cook over rapidly boiling water, beating with mixer until mixture stands in peaks. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Continue beating until think enough to spread.