It just occurred to me that I've been celebrating my birthday away from my Homeland for the last 10 years! Every year, unfailingly, my mother would cook 'pancit' (chow-mein type of dish) even if I'm not with them. It is a custom to cook long strand type of noodles every birthday as this signifies long life. I do the same thing every year for my mother's and sibling's birthdays.
Today, after 12MN Philippine time (5PM UK time), hubby surprised me with this...
Many years ago I bought a book called 'Photography for Dummies'. My husband saw this book last year when we moved to a new house as I was un-packing some of my old junk. Only then did he realise that I have a little bit of interest in Photography. I do appreciate good photographs and I said to myself "one day I must learn how to do that... ". Sometimes it's very easy to make an excuse not to pursue things that we said we want to do "someday" – but when will that someday really come, that's the question!
In my case that someday is today, or a couple of weeks ago to be more precise.
Thanks to hubby for getting me a DSLR last Christmas. I was so excited when I opened the box. Then I got scared - it all looked so complicated and fragile, I didn't even know where to begin. I couldn't even attach the lens! I was afraid I'd break it and it would be a waste of money. I read the manual and played with it a bit but got frustrated after a while. It has all these modes that look so technical and a lot of numbers showing up on the screen. I ended up just shooting using 'Auto' mode. I thought it would be a shame not to make the most out of the camera.
So, I had a look at the web and searched for Digital Photography courses. I was a bit late to catch the January course they were giving at Leicester College but in the end I caught the one in Spring. It was a brilliant introductory course, it's not as intensive as a full-time or degree course but enough to help you build a portfolio if you want to go onto further studies. I will share with you some of the things I have learned using this blog and post some photos I have taken. But for now this came through the post:
It was always an exciting trip for me. It would start really early in the morning because it takes about three hours from where we live to the Shrine. Most often than not, I would fall asleep on the journey but my Dad would always wake me up when we pass by the Pier in Manila as he knows that I am always fascinated by ships and sail boats.
Once we arrive in the Church the family would go and hear Mass and afterwards, for me as a kid that's when all the fun begins! Outside the church is an open market selling lots of novelty items such as: toys, souvenir t-shirts, hats, fruits and cashew nuts! For me the taste of cashew nuts is the equivalent of summer. It means school vacation has officially started and me and my cousins can hang around the farm going about our own little business. As cashew nuts are very dear to buy, me and my cousins have improvised on how to make this...
The art of preparing cashew nuts was handed down to us by our older brothers/sisters/cousins, and to them by the older ones and so on. In short, it's like our own little "mischievous tradition". Early in the morning we would congregate and gather every cashew fruit that we find in the farm. The fruit grows in trees and the boys would climb up and pick the fruits while the girls stay in the ground to catch the cashew fruits with their skirts. We would then walk as far as we can in the middle of the field where no chicken could smell the aroma of our culinary adventure (it was said that the scent of cooking cashew nuts gives skin disease on chickens, probably one those old wive's tales). Equipped with an empty can of formula milk (bottom pierced) we would toss the nuts in it and balance it on three stones and make fire under it. The anticipation is unbearable... there is only silence and sweats pouring out of our foreheads. After a few minutes the cashew nuts are ready, we would crack it open with a stone and there it is, the mighty cashew nut.. as black as it is from the smoke and as burned as our fingers tips are in opening it - it just have the most distinct taste of all, a taste like no other, it was the sweetest and the most delicious cashew nut you could ever taste. Ah well, that's how I remembered it anyway.. but that's the joy of being a kid, all your memories seem to always be the greatest, the biggest, and you always remember all the details.
I wonder if any of my younger cousins or children of my cousins have done this as well... I hope some of them did. But most of all, I hope the cashew fruit trees in the farm are still there.
It's been exactly a year today since I started this blog and I can't help but feel a little bit guilty as it has been ten months since I've written anything here at all. I could list up a thousand excuses for not being able to maintain this blog but I thought I'd rather not.
Today is also the birthday of my youngest niece, she just turned six and for years she adored Dora just like any other young girls. It is also is my Dad's 5th year death anniversary. I am actually in two minds if we should celebrate death anniversaries - remembering this day doesn't really bring happy thoughts. But I suppose it's been a tradition in our family to offer a Mass and say a prayer for people that are dear to us on the day that they departed. Daddy, I love you very much, may your soul rest in peace.
