Lunch

Preparing lunch for the family can be both fun and exhausting. Fun because you get to experiment on different kinds of dishes when you get bored with meals you are already used on preparing. Exhausting because when you don't know what to feed them it is tiring to think of meals that everyone would like.

Lunch today is that time. Fun and exhausting!

My helper left for the province for a few days. I am now in charge of the kitchen. I always welcome this but today I went blank on what food to prepare. I went to the ref to see if I can recycle some leftovers. None. Opened the vegetable section, viola! Eggplant! I checked the freezer next, fish. Hmmm. So, what can I do with fish and some eggplant within 45 minutes?

First, the eggplant. I laid the sliced eggplant in an oil-coated baking dish. Coated it with Italian sauce (I was planning to use tomato sauce but all I have is Italian sauce), minced bacon and mozzarella cheese. I was able to do 2 layers of these. I pre-heated the oven at 450 degrees, placed my eggplant dish and baked it for 20 minutes.

The fish? Good old fashioned fried dish. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and some garlic powder and fried it.

Lunch was ready in exactly 45 minutes! 

Oh, I just love it when a plan comes together! :)

The Angel of Music Sang to Me

I have always been an actress. Whether my family, friends or whoever agrees with me or not does not really matter, I still claim to be an Actress!

I love anything about acting. One of our family's favorite activities is to go watch movies on weekends. But last September 14, Friday night, to celebrate the birthdays of my husband and youngest daughter (which falls on the same date), we did something different. We mixed and mingled with the more "refined” sector of our society and allowed ourselves to be sprinkled with a little bit of “culture” and watched a musical play at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, The Phantom of the Opera.

Last year, I watched an international production at the CCP and it was a big disappointment. So, I was a bit hesitant to watch the Phantom production because I might get frustrated again. But I was wrong. I was so glad that I went and watched because I was a witness to a night of inspiration and excellence. That night I fell in love with the stage all over again.

When the first note of the overture struck, it just gripped me and I got lost in the world of what is called Theater. Nothing beats live orchestra. From the start, I was filled with anticipation of what is to come, that when the Phantom appeared I could not help the tears from falling. I was captivated when The Angel of Music sang to me.

Movies will always have a different appeal but theater is special. Live, real time acting is different. You get hooked and you cannot help but feel each character as they share their emotions of love, hate and life right there on stage.

Broadway plays will always be excellent. Watching that night, I felt a little envious and at the same time felt a bit of pain because I know that we Filipinos can also create excellent plays like that. Using our own talents, our own creativeness, our own stories, with excellent production at par with the rest of the world. We can. It is just frustrating most of the time due to the fact that it is sometimes hard to get people to partner with to produce such productions.

But I believe, as my friend said, we will get there...one day.