Spend more time with the people you love

9:08 PM | Labels: ,




SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"

DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"
SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make $100 an hour."
SON: "Oh! (With his head down).
SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $50?"
The father was furious.
DAD: "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think:
Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $ 50 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

DAD: "Are you asleep, son?"

SON: "No daddy, I'm awake".
DAD: "I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier. It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $50 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, smiling.
SON: "Oh, thank you daddy!"
Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

DAD: "Why do you want more money if you already have some?"

SON: "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do.

"Daddy, I have $100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $100 worth of your time with someone you love? If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family and friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family.

Some things are more important.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=511190462253506&set=a.188109461228276.39292.100000876715812&type=1&theater


Lots of Love,
J<3

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
Read User's Comments(2)
Posted by dreamcatcher

Chocolate Crumble Cheesecake

9:33 AM | Labels: , , , ,

I know I have mentioned how much I am against no-bake cheesecakes that use gelatin in it to set the cheesecake. But in times of a cheesecake craving, I bend the rules by making my basic no-bake-no-gelatin cheesecake (check out my other recipe post for a variation) as a canvas and adding whatever toppings or flavor I have available.

Chocolate Crumble Cheesecake
Ingredients:
1/4 c. Unsealed butter, melted
1 large package dark chocolate-coated cookies (about 2 dozen 4-inch diameter cookies)
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
250 ml. Heavy cream/Whipping cream
1/2 c. Sugar
Juice of one lemon

1. Crush 16 pieces of the cookie into fine crumbs using a rolling pin, mortar and pestle, blender, food processor or whatever method you fancy. Crumble the remaining cookies into larger pieces(like those in the picture scattered on top of the cheesecake) and set aside.
2. Pour the cookie crumbs over a 9-inch pie plate/6-inch springform pan (for a thicker cheesecake) and stir in the melted butter. Use your fingers to mold the base into the pan. Store in the fridge to set the base while you make the filling.
3. Whisk cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside in the fridge.
4. Whisk cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until smooth and almost double in size.
5. Fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture.
6. Pour into the prepared base.
7. Top with chocolate crumble.
8. Chill for at least two hours or until set.
9. Enjoy!

Lots of Love,
J<3



  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
Read User's Comments(0)
Posted by dreamcatcher

Fridate with 'Lil Sis

10:10 PM | Labels: , , ,


Red Velvet
Yesterday morning, it has been raining non-stop for a couple of hours. So a few minutes before 12pm, our afternoon classes got suspended. HOORAY!

Every time our classes get suspended, my dad would drive to school to bring us home or leave us in the mall to spend the rest of the day waiting for him to finish his shift. We may be in college, but my dad is really protective. And because our school is less than a thirty-minute drive from his office, he would gladly fetch us just so he's assured that we get home safe.

But today, my mom asked us to meet her in the mall and come home with her, so after having lunch with dad, my sister and I spent the rest of the day with each other. And most of the time was spent in this cutesy cupcake store in Glorietta: The Vanilla Cupcake Bakery.

Too bad we both decided to leave our iPods and iPads at home because we thought we would be commuting home in the rain, so we didn't get to take any pictures. The pictures I have included are from my previous visit with my friends, and I'm sorry, but I don't remember what was the flavor of the cupcakes I ordered (I think one of them was Red Velvet).

The last time I ate at Vanilla Cupcake, they were still in they're soft opening, so there sill wasn't many seats. And it was already late so most of they're cupcakes were out-of-stock. That's why I was really glad that this afternoon, we didn't have a lot of companions in the dainty cupcake shop which made the tea party-esque ambiance more peaceful and enjoyable. Also, we had a lot of cute vintage and classic chairs to choose from because the whole place was all to ourselves.

For our dessert-slash-merrienda, I ordered New York Cheesecake and Chocolate Cream Pie, while my sister had Oreo Cheesecake and Red Velvet (I know, that's too much for two girls who have just had Beef Pepper Rice at Pepper Lunch). We both had Earl Grey tea for drinks too (a full blown tea party was our theme).

As we waited for our cupcakes, we busied ourselves with picking which chair to sit on. After two or more minutes of going back and forth the powder blue vintage chairs in front and the colorful ones at the back, we settled (my sister actually) with the more eclectic one. Like I said, we failed to take picture, so I found similar chairs on the internet so you can imagine how they looked like.

Vintage chairs
From http://vintageindie.typepad.com/vintage_indie/2008/05/renewed-life-re.html

Modern vintage chair
From http://www.beinteriordecorator.com/patchwork-modern-vintage-chairs-by-kelly-swallow/patchwork-modern-vintage-chairs-design-2/

A few more moments later, our cute cupcakes arrived with our tea in even more cuter teapot and cups similar to the picture I have below. The cupcakes even came with wooden forks, a plus for being biodegradable and supporting the green movement.

Teapot and tea cup
From http://www.indigolilli.com/kitchen-hooks/50-forever-england-melissa-rose-tea-for-one-teapot-and-cup-5010792996189.html#.USjINDBTDLk

So, the cupcakes. That's what we're here for, right? Well, I have to say they were all divine! Both cheesecakes were very smooth and had just the right amount of tang and sweetness in them. Being a baker myself, I am glad to find out that the cheesecakes were baked with cream cheese and eggs and not set using gelatin. I'll give them both five out of five hearts.

For the chocolate cream pie, I enjoyed eating the chocolatey-mousy center which wasn't too sweet, just the way I like it. I loved it so much that I had to stop myself from eating everything up to save some for my mom, who I know would love it to bits. Five hearts as well.

Last, and definitely not the least, the red velvet cupcakes were, well, velvety. I liked everything about it, except for the cream cheese icing, which I would have loved even more if it had a little bit more tang in it. Probably a few more squirts of lemon juice wouldn't hurt. But nevertheless, my sister, a red velvet addict, loved it so much she even licked her fork. Four and a half hearts for this one.

And the Earl Grey tea just tied everything up. Over all, my Vanilla Cupcake visit deserves a four and three-fourths heart rating. With the delicious cupcakes and beautiful interior, I will surely be their regular customer.


Lots of Love,
J<3

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
Read User's Comments(0)
Posted by dreamcatcher

My First Kiss

9:36 PM | Labels: , , , ,

Kids these days have had their first kiss in as early as grade school, but I on the other hand, pride myself for saving my first kiss for that special someone - until last thursday.

And the culprit is my little friend, Rocky, who stole one while he was sitting on my lap. I know your mind is rushing through all the possibilities who the lucky guy is. Well... He's more of an it than a he. He's my, I mean our new pet dog, Rocky.

Since I was a kid, I grew up having at least one dog in our backyard. But I've never been this close to a dog, maybe even a pet (sorry Fruit Loops) for that matter. He's only been with us for almost two weeks, but he's already caught my heart in his tiny little paws. Maybe it's because he's the first pet who lived inside the main house because of his age, or maybe it's because of his constant puppy dog eyes (cause he's still a puppy), but I'm sure I'll end up in tears once my parents decide he's old enough to live in the backyard permanently.

Whenever I leave him for school or to go to bed, I couldn't bear the look he has on his face every time he realizes he won't be seeing me for a while. Sometimes I end up spending thirty minutes just saying goodnight to him. Because every time I turn my back, he looks at me and it would always seem like he's begging for me to stay.

There would be times when I would just find myself watching him play with his teether or this dirty rug and I would be smiling from ear to ear. Whenever I come home from a long tiring day at school, seeing his face light up once I get in the house makes my day feel lighter.

I'm sorry future first boyfriend if a month-old dog got to you first, but I wouldn't have my first kiss any other way.


Rocky


Rocky


Rocky


Lots of Love,
J<3

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
Read User's Comments(0)
Posted by dreamcatcher

Valentine's Day for Singles

9:32 PM | Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Together with the whole world, I was also affected by the Valentine craze. It started on the Sunday of the week of Valentine's Day when I started making cookie dough. I made two batches of cut-out cookies in heart, teddy bear and butterfly shapes. It was a hectic week in school so I decided to split the jobs of making the dough, baking and icing the cookies into four days (the last bit of icing was done on the night of the 14th - I gave the cookies the next day to my high school BFFs).

If Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said that the 14th may be viewed by people in three ways - Vday for people in a relationship, Single Awareness Day for those who are single, and for people who couldn't care less, it's just Thursday - I decided to add one more option: Make as many People Smile Day.

Being single, it may be expected that I spend the day sulking and asking my self why is it that I'm spending the day for couples without a partner AGAIN! But I think this isn't proper. Instead of having a boyfriend as my valentine, I decided to have lots of people as valentines.

I started with my college friends. I packaged a teddy bear cookie and a butterfly cookie in cute little packets and gave each person a bag. I was supposed to give some of my other friends cookies, but we didn't have a chance to meet up. So I got into the car with three bags remaining. One was for the old lady who sells sapmaguita leis we always pass by the bridge on the way home, the others were just extra. But when my sister and I made a detour to buy a cake for my mom (it was her birthday), we passed by a lady by the street selling dried fish and squid. She looked really tired being under the scorching sun for who knows how long, so I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to give one of the extra cookies to her. When we got to the mall, I gave the last cookie to the elevator lady who my family already consider as a friend. The cute drawings on the cookies made my friends and both strangers smile like little kids who woke up on Christmas Day with gifts from Santa in their stockings, and this was more than enough to make nights of mixing, kneading, rolling, cutting and icing worthwhile

The next day, I went on a date with my high school friends and gave them the remaining cookies I had at home. We only get to see each other every few months since we entered college, so we treasure moment we get to spend with each other. I spent my post-Valentine date with three people who are very close to my heart, which I think is what's important. We talked, laughed and ate like it was the end of the world. When I got home, I too slept with a smile on my face. This, I think, is the best way to end my Valentine Day experience.


Valentine Cookies


Valentine Cookies

Lots of Love,
J<3

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
Read User's Comments(0)
Posted by dreamcatcher
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)