Saturday, October 31, 2009

Chocolate Hangover

Halloween night was drawing to a close and all was quiet again.

The witch that took up residence on our front porch gave one last cackle and stirred her cauldron for the last time.

A glow-in-the-dark skeleton hanging from the eaves lost its luster and retired for the night.

Our Jack-o-lanterns’ happy faces turned sleepy once the porch lights turned off.

The children returned from trick-or-treating, somewhat fatigued, but energized at the prospect of sampling delicious treats. They sat on the floor, scattered their acquisition, and marveled at the mountain of candy before them.

Indeed, they made out like bandits; and I was the self-appointed sherriff. It was my duty to confiscate the goods for further inspection.

That's when temptation reared its pesky head. While they were occupied with the bedtime routine, I snickered at the thought of having my fourth miniature Snickers. Next, a bite-size Almond Joy brought so much joy to my taste buds that I just had to have another. Still next, the satisfying taste of a Baby Ruth was like sliding to home “palate” for the winning score. And how could I resist the package that bears my initials – M&M. Finally, I was undecided betwixt two types of chocolate, but eventually decided to have a bite-size Twix for good measure. It was a calorie-laden night for sure!

For the record, I am strictly a non-drinker and have never experienced a hangover -- except, perhaps, a chocolate hangover. :-)

Friday, October 30, 2009

Have a G-R-O-O-O-V-Y Halloween!!




(Taken during the Fil-Am Halloween Ball at our church social hall)

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Reaching milestones one pedal at a time

Last weekend, we packed up the kids and drove 2.3 miles to that Emporium of Excitement, that Factory of Fun, that Holy Grail of Gadgets: Toys-R-Us. After weeks of deliberation, we finally scheduled the time to take Mary on a surprise trip to Toys-R-Us to buy her very first bicycle. She chose a "Barbie" bike complete with a shimmery front pack and a toy plastic bicycle attached to the handlebars, designed to carry a Barbie doll. If Mary so wishes, she can position Barbie on the toy bicycle, and the two of them can ride off into the sunset together. The look on her face was priceless as she perused the bicycle department, wide-eyed and bursting with excitement.

Yes, our little Mary is reaching milestones one pedal at a time.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Festival, Fil-Am Style (Part 2)

Due to technical difficulty, part 2 of Festival, Fil-Am Style will be posted at a later date.
Check back soon!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Festival, Fil-Am Style (Part 1)

This past weekend, our parish held its 4th annual church festival. The local community came out en masse to partake in the festivities. There was a variety of ethnic fare, game booths for those who dare, vendors hawking their wares, and music and entertainment to take away your cares. In keeping with past tradition, the Filipino-American (Fil-Am) youth group, including Danielle and Joseph, performed folk dances as part of the entertainment program. This year, our choreographer chose to showcase a suite of dances from Mindanao, the second largest island group in the southern-most tip of the Philippine archipelago. Although eighty-five percent of the people in the Philippines are Catholic Christians, Muslims in the Mindanao region make up the largest cultural minority group. Their music and dances are renowned for their mysticism, beauty, and royalty. Filipino Muslim dances are characterized by intricate hand and arm movements, and colorful, shimmering costumes.

The Fil-Am dance program was a runaway success! Much of the credit goes to our choreographer, whose patience, perseverance (and sense of humor) set the standard of excellence. Equally deserving are the Fil-Am dancers who worked tirelessly and selflessly, and devoted every weekend over a three-month period to learning and mastering the Mindanao suite. Amateurs though they were, the Fil-Am youth group performed with undeniable skill, talent, discipline, grace, and professionalism. We are extremely proud of our young dancers.

Among Filipino-Americans, there is an adage: "You can take the Filipino out of the Philippines, but you can’t take the Philippines out of the Filipino." In some ways, the church festival has become, for us, a reaffirmation of our Filipino identity and pride.

Stay tuned for video footage of the Fil-Am dance performances on Part 2 of Festival, Fil-Am Style. For now, enjoy these photos courtesy of Dan Howell Photography.