Vampire Star Shreds It Off

If you are a Twilight addict (like my cousin Ceej) or Robert Pattinson’s admirer (like my sister Jill) or Edward Cullen’s fan (like me), by now, you have turned to the World Wide Web in a frenzy of look-ups for the sexy vampire star’s new haircut.

Fans think that Rob’s new do is a hair DON’T- he traded in his trademark sexy tousled locks (perfect for vampiring) for a no-muss, marine-style crew cut. (Perfect for looking like a standard Hollywood star.)

I think this issue or non-issue did bite me after my Christmas heightened joie de vivre subsided. What can I do? It’s all over in the internet!

In my view, I commend Rob for not giving in to stereotyping. Yes, he was good, if not best, in portraying Edward Cullen in Twilight but let's face it, we are more in love with the character than the actor himself. Besides, he has to do other movie roles that need to sport another haircut. He can't play vampire forever, you know. Now, let’s give the guy his freedom to decide what’s the best look for him, okay?

Maybe you ask: Can he still give Edward a much deserved justice in the sequels (New Moon and Eclipse) that will start filming in three months’ time? I think so. Even if he will have to wear wigs? Absolutely.

Again, the Twilight series is not all about Robert Pattinson’s hair. It's much deeper and bigger than that. So loosen it up, people!

What do you think of Rob's new haircut?

Love it! Hate it! So-so.

(Credits: http://www.people.com/ and http://www.celebrity-gossip.net/ for the images, www.buzz.yahoo.com for the news, and http://www.pollcode.com/ for the free poll)

Christmas Wish

May the good times and treasures of the present become the golden memories of tomorrow. Wish you lots of love, joy and happiness.

Cheers,
Jane

Christmas Recipes

What comes to mind when you think of Philippine Christmas? Food! That’s what. In our family, we always have ham and queso de bola as centerpieces for holiday dinners.

This year, I decided to be frugal that’s why I won’t have queso de bola. However, I will definitely serve ham because we got one as a giveaway from Phil. Navy. Besides, it is economical and I can stretch it to several meals from a main course. I’m talking about ham barbecue, ham sandwich, ham omelet, and so on. Ham can essentially star in any meal.

Since it’s going to be a busy day tomorrow, I already have prepared and studied the recipes that I’m going to cook for the first time.

Ham Barbecue

1/2 kilo ham (cubed)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup barbecue marinade
2/3 cup pineapple juice
1 tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tbsp water)
1 cup pineapple tidbits
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

Place the ham in a greased slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients; pour over ham and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through. Serve on buns.

Chicken Macaroni Salad

400g macaroni noodles
2 pieces medium sized carrots
1 big chicken breast
500 ml of mayonnaise
1 can (836 g) pineapple chunks or tidbits
1 big white onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
3 hardboiled eggs, diced
1 cup diced cheddar cheese
1/2 cup raisins
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni noodles according to package cooking instructions. In a pot, boil carrots in water for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked. Drain carrots and let cool. Peal skin then dice. Boil chicken breast in water with salt. Drain chicken breast, then shred in 1 inch lengths Drain pineapple chunks or tidbits. Combine all ingredients while adding salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate, and then serve.

Fried Calamares

3/4 kg calamares (squid)
1/2 kg flour
1 liter olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove the squid heads, tentacles, ink bags, fins and skin. Wash them thoroughly under running water, drain them and slice them into rings. Salt, dredge in the flour, and shake them one by one to remove excess flour. Fry them in plenty of hot oil until they begin to turn golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Old Photographs and Memories

As an upshot from my romantic tryst with my husband yesterday, I would like to share some of our old pictures and love letters with you all.

(Our first intimate date, Christmas 2002)

Excerpts from my first love letter to Mark:
Sent: February 24, 2003

Honey,

I have so many things to say but I don't know where and how to start. I want to cry. I start missing you now.

I don't know what lies ahead of me in Thailand but rest assured that I will try all my best for you. You are my inspiration. We both agreed that I need to take this opportunity while waiting for you to finish your junior billet.

I want you to know that I love you truly, madly, and deeply. I'm going to miss you terribly, my love. Please take care.

Yours,
Jane

(The first poem Mark wrote for me, isn't he romantic?)

Here's my favorite letter from my husband:
Sent: March 25, 2003

Honey,

I almost cried upon reading your letter. I miss you so much. How I wish we could be together on our anniversary tomorrow. But don't worry my love. We will have all the time in the world to celebrate our anniversaries when you get home and I’m finished with my billet.

It is my constant prayer to have you for the rest of my life.

Since first high school, I already desired you. For many years, I always thought of you every time I wanted to build castles in the sand. Your face came into my mind whenever I dreamt of my future - home, family, and career. I thought you were just a fantasy.

But now, GOD gives me YOU! You are indeed my dream come true.

Always remember that you are my alpha and my omega. Without you, I will become like floating wreckage that has nowhere to go.

You are my port, honey. You are my port where I find safe haven, where I refuel, and regain strength after an exhausting battle. You are my port where I seek refuge when the storm blows and the weather rages.

You are my life, my happiness. I love you.

Forever,
Mark

(We took the covenant of marriage on April 14, 2007 and we promised to live happily ever after.. winks!)

I'd Still Say Yes

Christmas is my most favorite time of the year for a lot of reasons. One of these is that people are happier, richer and more giving. This morning, I found one more reason to love Christmas – it magnifies love.

The moment I woke up, I saw my husband smiling naughtily at me. I knew right away that something was cooking up. Then he said he wanted me to be his girlfriend (not as a wife) for the day and we would go for a date like we used to do before we got married. I exclaimed “What?!” I wondered why he felt like living our amorous girlfriend/boyfriend past and I swear he acted like an infatuated school boy. Was it because of the cool weather? Or the massage I gave him the previous night? I wish I knew.

Anyway, I said yes.

So we rode his bike to SM and had lunch at Maxim’s Tea House (their sweet and sour pork is mouthwatering). After that, we watched Keanu Reeve’s The Day the Earth Stood Still. We held hands throughout the movie and he would steal kisses on my cheeks that eventually made me blush. Then we went shopping for clothes (slacks and polo shirt for him from Wrangler and white tops for me from Kirin Kirin). Lastly, we braved the overcrowded supermarket to buy more stuffs for the Noche Buena.

When we arrived home, we had a meal of daing na bangus and steamed rice that brought back memories of our first month as newlyweds (I could only boil eggs or prepare corned beef out from the can back then, so he was glad when I was able to fry daing na bangus for the first time! Actually, that was the onset of my confidence to discover the kitchen world). We talked general issues during dinner such as the anatomy of aliens and Kobe Bryant’s low-cut shoes (we basically talk anything under the sun, you know). Before we went upstairs, we watched the 14th and 15th episodes of Prison Break which we downloaded from mininova.org using uTorrent.

All in all, it was a romantic day with my husband. Next time he asks me to be his girlfriend or wife or even as a mistress, I will say yes to him over and over again!

The Christmas Pageant

I read this story on the bulletin board at Bautista Hospital this morning while waiting for my husband to get his laboratory result. It moved me. I searched for it on the web and found it at sparkpeople.com and I thought I would share it with all of you who read my blog!

The Christmas Pageant

My husband and I had been happily married (most of the time) for five years but hadn't been blessed with a baby.

I decided to do some serious praying and promised God that if he would give us a child, I would be a perfect mother, love it with all my heart, and raise it with His word as my guide.

God answered my prayers and blessed us with a son.

The next year God blessed us with another son.

The following year, He blessed us with yet another son.

The year after that we were blessed with a daughter.

My husband thought we'd been blessed right into poverty. We now had four children, and the oldest was only four years old.

I learned never to ask God for anything unless I meant it. As a minister once told me, "If you pray for rain, make sure you carry an umbrella."

I began reading a few verses of the Bible to the children each day as they lay in their cribs.

I was off to a good start. God had entrusted me with four children and I didn't want to disappoint Him.

I tried to be patient the day the children smashed two dozen eggs on the kitchen floor searching for baby chicks.

I tried to be understanding...

When they started a hotel for homeless frogs in the spare bedroom, although it took me nearly two hours to catch all twenty-three frogs.

When my daughter poured ketchup all over herself and rolled up in a blanket to see how it felt to be a hot dog, I tried to see the humor rather than the mess.

In spite of changing over twenty-five thousand diapers, never eating a hot meal and never sleeping for more than thirty minutes at a time, I still thank God daily for my children.

While I couldn't keep my promise to be a perfect mother - I didn't even come close... I did keep my promise to raise them in the Word of God.

I knew I was missing the mark just a little when I told my daughter we were going to church to worship God, and she wanted to bring a bar of soap along to "wash up" Jesus too.

Something was lost in the translation when I explained that God gave us everlasting life, and my son thought it was generous of God to give us his "last wife."

My proudest moment came during the children's Christmas pageant.

My daughter was playing Mary, two of my sons were shepherds and my youngest son was a wise man. This was their moment to shine.

My five-year-old shepherd had practiced his line, "We found the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes."

But he was nervous and said, "The baby was wrapped in wrinkled clothes."

My four-year-old "Mary" said, "That's not 'wrinkled clothes,' silly. That's dirty, rotten clothes."

A wrestling match broke out between Mary and the shepherd and was stopped by an angel, who bent her halo and lost her left wing.

I slouched a little lower in my seat when Mary dropped the doll representing Baby Jesus, and it bounced down the aisle crying, "Mama-mama."

Mary grabbed the doll, wrapped it back up and held it tightly as the wise men arrived.

My other son stepped forward wearing a bathrobe and a paper crown, knelt at the manger and announced, "We are the three wise men, and we are bringing gifts of gold, common sense and fur."

The congregation dissolved into laughter, and the pageant got a standing ovation.

"I've never enjoyed a Christmas program as much as this one," laughed the pastor, wiping tears from his eyes.

"For the rest of my life, I'll never hear the Christmas story without thinking of gold, common sense and fur."

"My children are my pride and my joy and my greatest blessing," I said as I dug through my purse for an aspirin.

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.

Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher .

Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.

Had no army, yet kings feared Him.

He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

Feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!

Party Like a Child

There were lots of children having fun at the NASSCOM Christmas Party today. They enjoyed the fun treats from the hired clowns and they cheerfully joined in the parlor games, raffle draws, pabitin, and karaoke singing. Their laughter blended with the jing-a-ling of the ice cream and cotton candy bells much to the pleasure of their parents who were able to chill out as well.

At lunchtime, we mused over some old jokes while we feasted on lechon, chowking lauriat, pancit, hotdogs, and fruits. Everyone was in high spirits - smiling from ear to ear. Nevertheless, we weren’t able to evade talking about serious stuff like how the colonist Spaniards imbued negative traits to the Filipino people. I was so engaged in our discussion that later made me feel like a renegade adult at a children’s party.

Mark and I participated in the Compatibility Contest for Couples afterward.

We were seated back to back and we separately had to write down our answers on a piece of paper. The judges would compare them subsequently. We got three correct answers from six questions such as how many girlfriends Mark had before we got married [3]; where he spends most of his time when he is not at home [at the barracks]; and when our last dinner date was [Nov. 25]. On the other hand, we differed on how much we spent in our wedding [his - 200k, mine - 250k]; what particular thing we always argue about [his – smoking, mine – jealousy]; and who I get jealous on all the time [his – his ex, mine - his bike]. We took home the second prize.

It was fun and it felt good bringing out the kid in me again!

It's Time for Shopping!

It’s seven days to Christmas and I have yet to buy presents and get ready for the noche buena.

It is the only time of the year that my husband allows me to splurge on him (as you know he’s not vain and he’s pretty okay with just anything in his wardrobe – jerseys, giveaway shirts, faded jeans) so I’m gonna buy something special for him like aviator sunglasses from Ray-Ban.

And my sister Jill will get a waffle hoody that’s so ‘in’ these days.

For me, well, all I need is a solid pair of ear plugs. I’m suffering distress at the sound of fireworks in the neighborhood these days more so on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I’m sure I’ll chicken out when chaos of bangs and squeals of powerful “rockets” begins. I don’t need to buy one though as my husband’s shooter’s ear plugs will do.

For my family and godchildren, I think I could excuse myself to give them tangible things these holidays since they are all in the province. Besides, Mark and I will move to Cebu early next year thus I will have plenty of time to make up for my “debts” when I get there. (LOL.. good alibi ha?!) Instead, I will give them personalized greetings this Christmas – something that is carved my heart.

And what’s for noche buena? I plan to prepare fried chicken, macaroni salad, grilled bangus, fried calamares, pancit, nachos, and fruit cocktail. The bread and cake, I will just buy at Goldilocks.

I guess it’s time to spend the gift certificates from Sodexho!

Fault in Internet Explorer Revealed

The foremost flaw of Internet Explorer (which I've been using for ages) bombarded the headlines on the World Wide Web today. It vexed me and possibly to other users of IE as well. I couldn't just sit and be indifferent about it hence I reblog the article from Christopher Null to hopefully enlighten you all about this issue.

The major press outlets are abuzz this morning with news of a major new security flaw that affects all versions of Internet Explorer from IE5 to the latest beta of IE8. The attack has serious and far-reaching ramifications -- and they're not just theoretical attacks. In fact, the flaw is already in wide use as a tool to steal online game passwords, with some 10,000 websites infected with the code needed to take advantage of the hole in IE.

Virtually all security experts (as well as myself) are counseling users to switch to any other web browser -- none of the others are affected, including Firefox, Chrome, and Opera -- at least for the time being, though Microsoft has stubbornly said it "cannot recommend people switch due to this one flaw." Microsoft adds that it is working on a fix but has offered no ETA on when that might happen. Meanwhile it offers some suggestions for a temporary patch, including setting your Internet security zone settings to "high" and offering some complicated workarounds. (Some reports state, however, that the fixes do not actually work.)

Expedient patching or switching are essential. Security pros fear that the attack will soon spread beyond the theft of gaming passwords and into more criminal arenas, as the malicious code can be placed on any website and can be adapted to steal any password stored or entered using the browser. It's now down to the issue of time: Will Microsoft repair the problem and distribute a patch quickly enough to head off the tsunami of fraud that's about to hit or will it come too late to do any good?

Meanwhile, I'll reiterate my recommendation: Switch from Internet Explorer as soon as you can. You can always switch back once the threat is eliminated. (To clarify: You don't need to uninstall IE, just don't use it for the time being.)

(Source)

As for me, I am going to switch to Firefox and I'm downloading it right now.

Spaghetti ala Jane

Mark and his two cousins fired some powerful “toys” at the firing range yesterday. I expected that they would be ravenous after they were done with their physically consuming hobby and so I armed myself with my dependable cookbook to prepare for them a sumptuous feast.

Also, I took this particular time to experiment a dish that I never tried cooking before. I figured that they as starved Y chromosomes wouldn’t mind if it tasted awful as long as it looked appetizing enough.

I chose spaghetti – Filipino style. I varied some ingredients and instructions from the cookbook so as to claim it as mine.

Here's the Spaghetti ala Jane:

(leftover)

Ingredients:
1/2 kg. spaghetti noodles
1/4 kg. ground beef
1/4 kg. ground pork
1/4 kg. hotdogs, diagonally sliced
1 kg. tomato sauce
1 bottle of banana catsup
3 pieces laurel leaves (bay leaves)
1/4 cup brown (brown is sweeter)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 head garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of cooking oil
1/2 cup of water
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated cheese

Cooking Instructions:
1. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package instructions.
2. In a sauce pan or wok, sauté garlic and onions in cooking oil.
3. Add ground beef, ground pork, laurel leaves, bell pepper and water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add tomato sauce, catsup, salt and pepper to taste then let simmer for another 5 minutes.
5. Add brown sugar and hotdogs. Continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Serve with the cooked spaghetti noodles and grated cheese on top.

The whole cooking process made me tired but I guess it was good for a first try nonetheless.