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Walis Tingting

Coconut tree is known to be the "Tree of Life" because of its many uses.from its leaves,fruits,trunk,coconut husks,roots,there's nothing that can be put to a waste.and one of its by-product is the "Walis Tingting".

Walis Tingting or broomstick is used for sweeping the floor.it is common to every Filipino household .it can be found in any supermarkets and from your nearby sari sari stores.it is made out of the rib of dried coconut leaves that are binded together(see picture attached).Its price ranges from 10pesos - 15pesos each.
It is every houswives,housemaids and street sweepers' friend.They are the ones who "abuse" them by constant use.

Also,Friendship is being compared to walis tingting because of its tight bond.Now,will it sweep actor-politician Joey Marquez to jail once proven that he's guilty of having bought a lot of walis tingting and overpriced it by P462,708? It was said to be found by Commission on Audit (COA).Find out here INQ7.

How about using those walis tingting to sweep all those corrupt government officials?hmmm just a thought :p
PEACE!

Filipino Terms and Definitions

Here are some of the Filipino(Tagalog) Terms that I used for everyone to easy to understand:

PHILIPPINES- The Philippines (Filipino: Pilipinas), officially the Republic of the Philippines (Republika ng Pilipinas; RP), is an island nation located in Southeast Asia, with Manila as its capital city. The Philippine Archipelago comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean.
Roman Catholicism is the most predominant religion consisting of more than 80% of the population, making it the 4th largest Catholic nation in the world. Muslims, on the other hand, form a significant minority throughout the country. Filipino and English are the official languages.
The Philippines is divided into 3 islands these are Luzon,Visayas and Mindanao.

The local climate is hot, humid, and tropical. The average yearly temperature is around 26.5 °C (79.7 °F). There are three recognized seasons: Tag-init or Tag-araw (the dry season or summer from March to May), Tag-ulan (the wet or rainy season from June to November), and Taglamig (the cold season from December to February).
More than 180 languages and dialects are spoken in the archipelago.Tagalog is the most spoken dialect.According to the 1987 Constitution, Filipino and English are both the official languages. Many Filipinos understand, write and speak English, Filipino and their respective regional languages.

Malacañang is the official residence of the president of the philippines.Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the current president of the country.


PALOSEBO - A well-known Filipino game that's usually present in every town fiestas.A long and straight bamboo pole is greased and polished to make it smooth and slippery. Before it is set upright, a small bag containing the prize is tied at the end of the pole. It usually contains money or toys.Contestants will be asked to climb the pole and reach for the small bag,whoever reached it first will be declared winner.

AGAWANG BUKO - an outdoor game that consist of many contestants,it's similar to a basketball game,only it's not a ball that they're going to get but a whole coconut.it's outside layer will be greased and from it's skin,coins are digged.all players will grab the coconut from one another,whoever have it will be the winner.a cash prize awaits the winner too.

PALUAN NG PALAYOK - claypot or palayok is hanging on air,each players will form a line,one after another will be blind-folded and will be given a stick or a bat to hit the pot that is filled with candies and confetti.whoever gets lucky to hit the pot will be declared winner and will be given a cash prize.


DINAGYANG FESTIVAL - it is held annually in Iloilo City every 4th weekend of January to commemorate the Christianization of the natives and to honor the Holy Child Jesus.

SINULOG FESTIVAL - is one of the grandest and most colorful festival in the Philippines.It is being held in Cebu city every 3rd Sunday of January,and like Dinagyang festival,it is to honor also the Sto.Niño or the child Jesus.

ATI-ATIHAN FESTIVAL - Kalibo,Aklan's pride.held every 3rd Sunday of January,again,to honor Sto.Niño or the child Jesus.It is the wildest among Philippine fiestas and considered as the Mother of All Philippine festivals.

PANAGBENGA OR THE FLOWER FESTIVAL - it's being held in Baguio City(Philippines' summer capital) during flower season(February).People of Baguio's creativity are being challenged every year by making different styles/designs out of flowers,on this festival that will be paraded in the streets with decorative floats.

PAHIYAS - annualy held in Lucban,Quezon.In this festival,people used rice or malagkit na bigas and make a galapong out of it.they will make a a leaf-like colorful design and decorate it in or outside of their house.

Festivities in the Philippines

The Philippines was ruled by Spain for a long period of time. The Spanish colonization lasted for more than three centuries or 377 years to be exact,thus explain why majority of our cultures and traditions were contributed by the Spanish-Mexican descent.Folk music,folk dance,art,food,literature,religion and language are the most visible influence by the Hispanics on us.Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia.
Philippines is known for holding annual festivities in different parts of the county.It is to honor the patron saints of different towns,villages or regional districts.The festivities are celebrated with church ceremony, street parade accompanied by bands and fireworks( in honor of the patron saints).Houses are full of visitors and foods are overflowing.Each town or villages or barangays hold game like Palosebo,Agawang Buko, Paluan ng Palayok,dance,singing and beauty contest with lots of prizes to be won.

Dinagyang, Sinulog, Ati-Atihan, Panagbenga or Flower Festival, Pahiyas- these and other festivities in the country are just among that attract many tourists and tradition that has been passed from generation to generation.

Next time you visit the Philippines,think of visiting those places and you'll have a real good time of your life.

Beef Caldereta (Filipino Beef Stew)

It's hard to think what's going to cook for today,with just me and my son,i admit we're not much of a veggie eater ^_~! I know i need to teach my son how to eat veggies and im sorry for myself too,but i've learned already and carlo's learning too.Today,after sending him to school,me and my good friend Gina went to market as usual.I ended up buying half kilo of pork ribs instead of beef coz my son don't eat much of it so i just bought pork ribs, plus the ingredients when you're making a "caldereta".She taught me how to do it,so here it is.

you will need:

1/2 k pork ribs cubed
3pcs potato sliced
1-2 pcs carrot(s)sliced
1pc medium size red bell pepper
1 /4 cup kakang gata (coconut cream)
1 cup coconut milk
1 medium onion chopped
1 garlic clove crushed
1 bell pepper cut into strips
1 small pack tomato sauce
salt and pepper

How to cook:

Pour the coconut milk(for a better taste) in a caserolle add beef/pork ribs and boil until tender.
In a separate pan sauté garlic and onion. Add to ribs broth.
Add kakang gata and tomato sauce,allow to simmer for ten minutes.
Add bell pepper, carrots, and potatoes.
Simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender, then add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot on individual servings of a bed of cooked rice.

Wanted: Teachers

"Knowledge is the only wealth that cannot be stolen" and i truly believe in it.Everyone of us has been given a knowledge of our own,it's up to us how we will develop and nurture ourselves with it.There are different sources of knowledge,from our parents,friends,books,experiences etc etc but most of the time,we gain it from school and the best "tool" is our teachers.

Being a teacher is a noble profession,it's a never ending learning,a very difficult task but very rewarding.I bet we all grew up where we have high respect with all our teachers.They are considered the living heroes because of their never tiring efforts to impart and share their knowledge to the youth of today.

Before,the quality of education in the Philippines are high.That's why Philippines had a reputation of having the most literate people compared to other countries.My mother used to tell me that during her time,students who have just graduated from elementary were already allowed to teach and they can even speak fluent english and spanish.Even during my elementary and high school days,i can tell that my teachers were really good.But do we still hold the title of having the most literate?

Why is it that there's a shortage of teachers in the Philippines?Did they get tired of teaching the youth of today? And why there are reports that the quality of education are getting poorer?Where are the quality teachers that we used to have?

Because the cost of living here in the country are getting high and the growing needs of teachers overseas plus the inviting high salary and benefits it gives not only to them but also with their family,most of the brightest are already teaching abroad or worse,they migrated to work as a caregiver or domestic helper. Isn't it alarming?

Due to this problem,Caloocan Rep Mitzi Cajayon filed a Bill(House Bill 800) that was introduced by Sen. Edgardo Angara ,it is the “Act Upgrading the Minimum Salary Grade Level of Public School Teachers in the Elementary And Secondary Levels from Grade 10 to 15" ,this will give public school teachers a much needed salary hike.

But then,without giving them a competetive salary,we might end up losing the best teachers in the country and it will result to the continuous sinking of the quality of education.

Pork Menudo - Want some?

Im not a good cook,in fact even when i got married,fried egg and boiled water were my expertise....lol.that's true,now,thinking about it,makes me shy....lol.but eversince i became a single parent,i learned how to cook coz there's no one that i can depend upon but myself.although my mother is just steps away,i want to learn how to cook for my son and for my future husband Joe,and im determined to do it.so with the help of my mother and my friend Gina,who's patient enough to teach me how.We always go together to market after sending our kids to school(her son and mine go to the same school)and most of the time,im cooking whatever food she will cook for that day...lol.and if im home and i fogot how to do it,she's just a fone all away.sometimes it was my mother that i asked but i get shy coz she and my siblings are teasing me about my cooking hihihi.

now im proud of myself that im able to cook menudo,before,i thought it was hard but when i tried it,i found it easy and fun and mind you,my Menudo tastes good.Wanna have some? Just take a look and imagine how yummy it is....lol

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo Pork (bite size)
1/4 kilo pork liver (bite size)
1 medium size Carrot cut into strips
2-3 medium size potato
1 pc. red bell pepper
small pack tomato sauce
soy sauce
pinch of fine black pepper
garlic
1 onion
3-5pcs calamansi extract


Procedure:

In a casserole,marinate pork with soy sauce,calamansi extract and a pinch of fine black pepper(depends how much u want) set aside.After sometime cook it in a medium fire,add the liver after 15 minutes and let it simmer again.in another pan,sautee' minced garlic and finely chopped onion and mix it with the pork,add the potato cubes and carrots(chopped into bite size)wait til it gets tender.add the tomato sauce and red bell pepper,let it simmer again for 10 minutes til it's cooked.

Note:

Like what i've said,im just a newbie when it comes to cooking,if there's something that i forgot,please let me know and ill be glad to remember it the next time. and oh,dont forget to taste what u cook hehehe...

I also encourage everyone to share your recipes.Thanks ^_^

Til next time...