Tropical fruits in season...

Jackfruit: (Langka in Tagalog) is widely grown in the Philippines. It can be eaten ripe or unripe (young), cooked or uncooked. Even the seed of it can be eaten cooked and tastes almost similar to chestnuts. this fruit can be found in some Asian markets.












Mango: There are over a thousand varieties of mangoes. But the
one I really like best are the mangoes from te Philippines. I usually buy mangoes by box and eat it with bread for breakfast.
Based on Healthrecipes.com, mangoes help to lower cholesterol, the fiber content is wonderful aid to digestion regularity and they are rich in vitamins A and C. They provide more carotinoids than other fruits, and are also low in calories.

Papaya: This fruit can be found in supermarkets throughout the year. Its flesh is a reach orange color with either yellow or pink hues. The fruit, as well as the other parts of the papaya tree, contain papain, an enzyme that help digest proteins. This enzyme is usually concentrated in the fruit when it is unripe.





Lanzones: It is one of the major fruit crops in the Philippines. The fruit is eaten fresh and tastes good. The variety from Paete, Laguna are the ones that I really like most because of its sweetness. The rural folks in the Philippines used the flesh and juice of lanzones to treat sore eyes while the fruit peel serves as a mosquito repellant.




Rambutan: The name Rambutan comes from the malay word "rambut" meaning hair. Most of the fruits are red in color. The flesh of the fruit is translucent with the tinge of white. It is juicy
and has a sweet flavor that is pleasing to most palates.

Traveling with CARE(s) (A safe air-travel with kids)

Just recently, we had our vacation in the Philippines and traveling solo with my daughter is not an easy task, especially if you travel for over 20 hrs. I did a lot of research about traveling with kids, what to bring and most importantly the safety of my daughter. Booster seat made for use with a lap-shoulder belt cannot be used, because there is no shoulder belt for upper-body restraint, so I looked online and found this really fabulous device. Its a Child Aviation Restraint System (CARES) and is FAA approved. I think this is a must- have if you have kids traveling with you. It's a great alternative for the booster seat. It is lightweight, very easy to install and my daughter seemed so comfortable with it.
Since it was a very long flight, I loosened her belt from time to time, so she can move around on her seat and do her drawings when the belt sign is not illuminated. Air travel to and from the Phils. wasn't a problem at all. I didn't hear a single complain from my daughter.

To Inay, Happy Birthday!!

To a very special person in my life...
***My MOTHER***

(Carlota, a co-blogger has a contest going on and this post is my entry. If you need more specifics about the contest, Pls. visit her blog at www.carlotaonline.com)


"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her." -- George Washington

My mother, Valentina Tendido died at the age of 70. She was hypertensive from a very early age. She survived the first four strokes, but the last one happened on Jan. 18, 1996, unfortunately, she didn't make it. She lost her consciousness on my arms. She was a very brave and hardworking woman. Full of love and understanding. With her lean and tall frame, I always asked myself where her strength came from. She always reminded me that LOVE is an outgoing concern, to love somebody you must sacrifice and give your whole life just to satisfy your love and this became more clear to me when I became a mother myself.The greatest thanks i can offer more than words could ever say is to give my child the love she gave me.

How I truly miss you, words are not enough to say what I feel within me. No other person in this world can take your place here in my heart. The day you passed away was the most hurting and memorable feeling for me. It was terribly empty feeling that I can bury my head in my pillow until I tire in the evening. You never had a chance to see me married to the man i love. You don't even got the chance to play with my little princess. Oh, if you could only see how sweet and smart she is. How I wish you could live up to a hundred, but most of the time things do not happen as we expect they would. It brings tears to my eyes, knowing that i can not see you, touch you, hear you. relishing the old times is the closest I can get to feel you around once more. You have been away for twelve years now but my memory of you is as fresh as the morning dew. I miss your smile, I miss talking to you about anything and everything while we were just sitting on the sofa or sometimes lying on bed. I miss all that, I miss your company. I am forever grateful for the golden values which I have learned from you. These will forever live in my heart and in my mind they are eternal.

Happy happy birthday to you Inay & happy wedding anniversary too, to you & Tatay!!

I really miss you both so very much. I Love You. I know you are happy and protected there in heaven.


I made this tribute to her a long time ago on Mother's day but I decided to post it here on her birthday.

The beautiful ladyslipper

Every spring I always make sure that I walk
around our property just to see this beautiful flower. Is'nt it gorgeous? I wish this plant is in my garden. I would be very happy if I can just see it by the window, but this plant is difficult to grow in an average garden and is unlikely to survive any attempts at transplantation. It is even considered endangered in some other parts of the US and even in Canada.