Wednesday 31 July 2013

The Book That Started It All

red riding hood
Source:
http://www.littleladybooksandbits.com
My mother used to read bedtime stories to me and my siblings when we were still small, one of these was the Read it Yourself: Red Riding Hood. Before I was enrolled to a formal school, my mother handed me this book and told me to read it aloud. I was three or four years old then. I was surprised but didn’t dare complain.

My older sister was already attending school. I was a bit envious that she was learning new things and I had to stay home. So, when mother helped her with homework, I was usually there to watch and listen.

I don’t know how I managed to read the story, but I did it. Whether all that observing my sister’s lessons or somehow learning by heart how mother read it to us paid off, I still wouldn’t know. I didn’t perfect it the first time. However, I was told to reread it until I got everything, right down to the pauses for commas and periods. Hehehe!

It felt nice to finally be able to read, another means to pass the time aside from playing, watching television, and observing the activities of adults. Moreover, reading a book wouldn’t get you in trouble, unlike a few of my misadventures caused by a natural inquisitiveness everyone possesses as a kid. In addition, almost every room of the house has books and other reading materials lying around.

The end of the story is: I fell in love with books, which is not that bad considering that most of the family are readers. ;)

Homemade Salsa

The family just loves spicy food. My father got this recipe from a Mexican cooking book and modified it a bit.

Ingredients
2 medium onions (sliced)
1 bulb of garlic (chopped)
118 mL hot jalapeño peppers (sliced)
1 small can pimiento (sliced)
1 large can diced tomatoes (preferably Capri brand)
Salt


Procedure
  1. Sauté onions and garlic. Add tomatoes, pimiento, and jalapeño.
  2. Season with salt to taste.
  3. Simmer salsa, partially covered, under low fire for 15-30 minutes.
Note: We usually add a small amount of vinegar to get the taste right.

Deluxe Oatmeal Cookies


An easy drop cookie recipe

oatmeal cookie
Deluxe Oatmeal Cookie 
Estimated Times
Preparation Time: 15 mins.  
Cooking Time: 9 to 11 mins.  
Cooling Time: 15 mins.  
Servings: About 4 ½ dozen cookies

Ingredients
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
⅛ tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 cups quick-cooking or rolled oats
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)


Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 °F.
  2. Sift and combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in small bowl.
  3. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.
  4. Beat in eggs; gradually beat in flour mixture.
  5. Stir in oats and nuts.
  6. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto nonstick baking sheets.
  7. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes.
  8. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Adapted from Nestlé’s Milk Chocolate Raisinets: Deluxe Oatmeal Raisinets Cookies Recipe

First Post

The creation of this blog started from a course I took up as part of my master's degree. It partially involved basic photography since the subject covered analog and digital images. Sure, everybody loves photography; but knowing the basics of taking photos made me realize how pictures could become more interesting and significant, especially when it's an important moment in one's life. It's no longer just taking pictures but preserving each event into a well-loved story.

My focus on photography drove me to distraction and left me looking for a school to pursue something along digital arts...

To make the long story short, someone encouraged me to take up web design in one of the top schools. I had my misgivings when I enrolled; but this eventually vanished as I attended the seminar and 3-day class. The instructor made learning fun and I, personally, enjoyed the challenges of web design and development presented during and after the workshop.

Hopefully, creating and maintaining a blog would help me determine if I'll be pursuing a career in web design. :)