Practice-makes-perfect Banana Loaf

I love to bake. I didn't have formal training but I started early courtesy of my Auntie Binky. My earliest baking memories were of me greasing her baking pans when I was seven years old. Until now I'm still using some of her pans that she left with me when she got married.

The recipe for the perfect banana loaf seem to have eluded me. The ones I tried before were either to dense, too heavy or just didn't sit perfectly on my taste buds. I kept experimenting and just last week, I FINALLY baked what for me is the perfect banana bread recipe. 

The recipe is actually for banana cake but most people bake this in loaf pans and they come out like breads hence the name. But it was moist, with just the right sweetness and it didn't use butter or milk so less calories for the figure conscious. It was also not a fussy recipe so even beginners will find the directions very easy to follow. With much pride and joy, I'm sharing with you my practice makes perfect banana loaf recipe. 

An open letter to a new blogger

"ate lany, lookie! I have a blog na din! role model man gud tika  good example. HAHA. pero bitaw ui, it's to pass the time, and to help me improve sa akong pagsulat... nagbutang ko ug link sa imong blog didto sa akong blogroll :))" 

http://medicalschoolroadtrip.blogspot.com/

This was a message I received a few minutes ago from my cousin Karla or Mae-mae as we fondly call her. Immediately I started crying because I was so overwhelmed that I inspired her to make her own blog. She even called me her role model. *tears* Oh Mae...

Davao - Then and Now

It's Araw ng Davao once again. I feel the need to be at least in one event and blog about it as my simple way of paying tribute to the city that has become my home for 28 years. We came to Davao from Zamboanga City in 1985 and Davao was so different then. No malls, no traffic.

One of the events I was keen on going to was the Davao Then and Now photo exhibit staged by Museo Dabawenyo at the SM Annex. I'm a big nostalgia fan so it was no-brainer why it was on top of my list. Last Saturday, I found myself at SM Ecoland and immediately headed to their new annex wing. The exhibit featured around 20-25 old Davao City photos and little trivia about the edifices. It celebrates the journey of our city to become the premier city in Mindanao and a melting pot of different cultures. Davao City's rise to fame was definitely NOT an overnight success. The exhibit is one way to let the younger Dabawenyos learn and appreciate our history. 

Kitchen bonding

I have always been in the look out for good and fool-proof recipes that I can try and most of the time tweak to suit my taste. After checking our pantry, I noticed the unopened bag of quick cooking oats so I decided to look online for an oatmeal cookie recipe. I was also thinking of allowing Leia to try her pudgy little hands at  baking instead of being just a spectator and eater.

I came across this recipe from food.com that said Best Oatmeal Cookies. Not one to immediately believe anything that has the word "best" in it, I read the comments and 90% of them raved about it. So I gathered the ingredients and spent an afternoon with my apprentice. It was good to see her practice her motor skills by mixing and I'm slowly teaching her to appreciate the effort that goes into making something. As an added treat, I told her to put chocolate candies on top of her cookies. The oatmeal cookies came out really good - I liked the variety of textures since it has chopped nuts and raisins aside from a good amount of oatmeal. Leia was obviously very proud of her effort and Mama was even prouder to finish all her work and spend quality time together. :)

My apprentice in action

The how-to for child support

Disclaimer: This post should not be taken as an expert's opinion. I'm not a lawyer but I reckon someone out there may be asking Google about the matter, as my friend and fellow blogger Raine said (she's happily married  by the way). Let's just say I've been in your shoes before and want to share my experience hoping that I can help someone out there in my blogger's way of writing a how-to post. Please excuse the occasional expletives. Spare me too your pontifications, I have enough of that. 

If you are going through this right now or know someone who needs someone who has "been there been that" (hahaha), please send me an email at inatayblog@gmail.com. I can be a friend and can recommend a good lawyer for your child support battle.

- o0o -

Before we start, allow me to be blunt about this and state the obvious - it will not only be a financial battle but more importantly, an emotional one. Wounds, whether fresh or old, will be opened, you will have to recall everything that transpired and you have to be pretty resolute about seeking support from your former husband, boyfriend, partner, sperm donor and whatever you call him. It is inevitable that you will face this man, who has not only left you with a broken heart but also in a financial rut. This will be a painful ordeal but remember, you are doing this for your child/children because they are entitled to it, it is their right and you have to do something on their behalf.

Image: www.childsupport.alberta.ca

Repost: Love letter to Filipinos by Dr. David Harwell

This letter was written to all of us by an American Dr. David H. Harwell and appeared in Philippine Daily Inquirer Commentary on February 17, 2013. I read it and had goosebumps. I am re-posting it here hoping that it will warm your brown spirit as it did in mine.

-o0o-

I am writing to thank Filipinos for the way you have treated me here, and to pass on a lesson I learned from observing the differences between your culture and mine over the years.

I am an expatriate worker. I refer to myself as an OAW, an overseas American worker, as a bad joke. The work I do involves a lot of traveling and changing locations, and I do it alone, without family. I have been in 21 countries now, not including my own. It was fun at first.  Now, many years later, I am getting tired. The Philippines remains my favorite country of all, though, and I’d like to tell you why before I have to go away again.

I have lived for short periods here, traveled here, and have family and friends here. My own family of origin in the United States is like that of many Americans—not much of a family. Americans do not stay very close to their families, geographically or emotionally, and that is a major mistake. I have long been looking for a home and a family, and the Philippines is the only place I have lived where people honestly seem to understand how important their families are.

Beware: ATM scams - it's REAL!

Just last week, I read in a national broadsheet warning the public to be careful and vigilant in using automated teller machines (ATM) after a new scam was discovered. I don't think this is a "new" scam since every other year or so, scammers always seem to make a comeback. They just let the issue dissipate and the moment banks and depositors let their guards down, boom! Anyway, it still involves the same modus of "skimming" or capturing an ATM card's number, personal identification number (PIN) and other important information using a specialized scanner. The captured data is then used to make a duplicate card which the scammers use to make withdrawals, without the knowledge of the depositor of course. This scam also victimizes credit card owners.  The cause for the warning is a recent case of ATM fraud in UAE. 

Image from the web