The Grace of Maternity

You might also be wondering why when a woman becomes a mother even at a young age there is a transformation on her person. She becomes more mature and she thinks less if herself.  I remember watching a video documentation of one of the get-togethers of Saint Josemaria Escriva, a newly wed man ask him " Father what will I do because I realize that my wife is still too immature because she still thinks of her new shoes and new bags?". The  old priest said " Don't worry my son when the baby comes out she will never think of that anymore!" Indeed being a mother transforms a person.

When a woman received that maternal grace she becomes mature and she becomes selfless. That little helpless baby is enough to make a girl into a full woman. A mother should never think of herself she only thinks of the good of her husband and children. That maternal grace makes her heart into a magnanimous one.  With that maternal grace she becomes more understanding and patient. That maternal grace makes a lady into a mother.

Turning your House into a Home: The Art of Welcoming a Guest

Being away from home is an experience that would require a lot of daring and self-confidence. To stay away from the people who are near to your heart is already a very heavy feeling that weight down a guest thus being a host we should be able to uplift that heavy feeling to help the traveler.  That feeling if "home sick" is usually caused by failure to make your guest to feel at home. A person missed home simply because he did not find the homey atmosphere in that place where he is staying. How can we lighten up a heavy heart? Let the person feel at home. 

He will never missed home if he will find same atmosphere of a home in the place where he is staying. Give him a warm welcome and never allow that he will be out of place in the conversations. But of course as always first impression lasts. If this is the case then the guest should feel that he is very much welcome as soon as he enters that house. What things could we do to give an impression that he is welcome?

welcome card

A simple yet beautiful flower arrangement at the night table in his room is a very grand welcome for a traveler. Something that would remind him of his family, his mother and home. In some hotels they have this welcome music. They set up a sensor that would sense when somebody is at the door and opens the light then the music will start to play to welcome the guest. But since our houses are not hotel and in fact it should not be like one or else it wouldn't be home, a simple hand made card at the bed of the guests is a big plus to the clean and fresh room that he had and it would be enough for your guest to realize that he is really welcome.

Enhance your Beauty with a piece of Cloth

Fashion statement can be made by tying one's scarf in creative and different ways. They can be plainly tied, tied sideways, pinned with a piece of jewelry or using a specially made and designed pinheads.
These are some examples of using your scarf. Several pieces of scarfs is at your wardrobe is a great thing in your daily outfit even though you just wear the same clothes all the time.

Looking great does not depend in the beauty of the person or the brand bad the style or your clothes instead it depends on how you present yourself and how you bring yourself. You don't have to change your wardrobe every month or not even every year. You just have to learn the skill of shuffling your clothes and to wear it differently every time. Plus a great deal of things for accents such as belts, scarf, and necklaces.

Here are some ways to use your scarf in a fashionable way. You can use your scarf as an accent to your hair. If you have a long hair you can braid it and insert your scarf in between braids or if its short you can wear it like a head band or a bandana. You can also tie it in your pony tail. You can also opt to use it at the neck. Either like the scout scarf with the inverted  "v" shape at the back or you you can position the inverted "v" a bit sideways or in front.  If you you want you can simply tie your scarf or you can use pins with beautiful designs too. You can tie it also to your waist like a half skirt on top of your skirts or pants. Or you can use it as belts or simply tie it on your bag or if its big enough you can make it as your bag. 

Homemade Summer Coolers

"Philippine Cherry"

In some parts of the world, they are experiencing summer this month. When its hot you would feel the need to take more liquids. Water is the most common thing. But you might want to give your family and your live ones a different experience of summer. You can even introduce healthy summer coolers such as this things I am going to share to you. They taste great and cool thus no worries if  they hate vegetables.

A. Pineapple power. All you need are fresh pineapple chunks, iceberg lettuce, a bit of celery stalks,sugar and water. Just put them together in the blender and liquefy. Then strain to remove the fiber then adjust the taste. Serve cold.

B. Pineapple mint cooler. Just blend together pineapple and mint then strain to remove pineapple fiber and adjust the taste. Serve cold.

C. Greens lemonade. You will need cucumber seeded, iceberg lettuce and lemon juice. Put every thing in the blender and liquefy then adjust the taste as you want it. Serve cold.

D. Pink Lady. Boil sweet potato leaves, set aside leaves for salad, let cool the water then add lemon juice and adjust the taste. Serve your pink lady juice cold for snacks time.

E. Cold lemon grass lemonade. Boil lemon grass leaves including the stalks. Let cool the water and add lemon juice and adjust the taste. Serve cold, good for those who has sleeping difficulty. The lemon grass helps in calming the senses this you will be able to sleep better.

F. Icy Lemon grass tea. Just boil lemon grass leaves and stalks. Let cool the water then add prepared powdered tea. Adjust the taste to your desire. Serve icy cold. You could also freeze it then blend to have a smooth icy lemon grass tea.

Stay cool, hydrated and healthy this summer.

Unbelievable Frienship: The Art of real Fraternity

Age doesn't matter in friendship

What impression people think when they see a group of women of varied ages enjoying themselves together like blood family do? I am amazed when people show their interest and curiosity to what kind of women are these. Normally you can not out women of varied ages and backgrounds together for long  because for sure there will be chaos. I guess this what makes it different yo see a group of women of varied ages together enjoying themselves.

Some are curious how these women get along with each other. Simply because they have the goals and aims in life and they have this trust to each other. This is through true charity. When you know each other well, you will know when to give in, when to listen and when to give your opinion. This is the real spirit of friendship. Always put yourself in the shoes of the other and for sure you will understand her situation. Age doesn't matter in friendship.

The Art of Changing Hearts

"Heaven and Earth seem to meet at the horizon
 but where they really meet is in your heart"
-Josemaria Escriva-

The heart is the part of the body that no one can ever reach and understand. Its the inner part of the person that no one can control not even the owner itself. Science explains that the mind is the central processing unit of our whole being but I know that sometimes you also realize that your heart feels something that is totally in contrary to what you are thinking. Somehow the heart is uncontrollable. Like for instance you fell in love to someone whom you know you are not suppose to. Or sometimes you are hurt when you realize that your friend for example is happy with his girlfriend. There are times that we can not reason out why we feel that way and why even though how hard we try to control these "should not be" feelings it still exist. But yes of course we can control our actions but deep inside we know that we are doing what is contrary to our feelings. Really it is our heart that we can't trust and also it is the heart that we can't judge.

Why am I saying all this? Well if you want to get the sympathy of the person or if you want to make the person understand what you are saying the most effective way us the way to her heart. You have to be able to change the heart of the person before you make him able to grasp and make it his own your way of thinking. Changing of heart is the best and mist effective way in the art of teaching and in giving talks. A talk however nice it is or however logical and practical and even if you had explain it clearly is worth nothing if you are unable to reach the heart of your listener. Even if they will be able to grasp it and they could say it again word by word is still worthless if it didn't get trough their heart. Giving a talk is like blood transfusion or organ transplant,the idea is yours and you pass it to another person and it becomes part of that person. When a lung is transplanted to a person you can't say that the lung that she has now is if so and so, no that lung becomes hers, you can not separate the lung and the person. In passing on ideals that ideals should become part of that person.

Turning your House into a Home: Trendy Tissue

One of the things that creates a welcoming atmosphere in your homes is the attention to details up to the minutest one. I was visiting a home of a friend one day and I had to use the washroom and I was greatly astonished when she showed me the washroom that I exclaimed "I can sleep out here". The washroom was so clean and smelling good that you will never think it was a washroom. The cleanliness and order was not just superficial but really up to the smallest detail. If I was greatly amazed with the cleanliness, I was even more awed and speechless when I saw the tissue paper,that trendy tissue paper and so I decided to write about it.

I say in the title "trendy tissue paper" because really you can put a lot of art and style according to your taste and to the occasion with your tissue paper. Here are some of it.

A. The standard fold.
These are the most basic and simple folds of your tissue paper.
* Clean-crosswise- just simply fold the open end of the tissue paper as this.

Clean-crosswise

* Daily-diagonal- this done by folding the tissue paper end diagonally with the pointed end pointing towards the floor

Daily-diagonal

* Army-arrow - this is an extended version  of the "daily-diagonal " fold. Just fold the pointed end of the diagonal fold inward. As shown in this photo.

Army-Arrow

B. Sea Shell's in the seashore fold
This is more commonly used by beach resorts to be in with the setting. This is the artistic folding of the tissue paper which is done by first making van accordion about two cuts of the tissue paper then fold the accordion at the center.

Sea shells in the seashore

C. Japanese Fan fold.
As by its name this folding looks like a Japanese fan. This is done by simply by folding one side of the tissue paper open bend out then make an accordion crosswise then fold the one end twice.

Japanese Fan

D. Spanish fan fold.
This is almost the same as the Japanese fan fold but do not do the first step, leave the side as is.

You can make your washroom as trendy as you want it to be.

Spanish Fan

Wanted Perfect Husband" :The Art of Being One

The Secret of a Strong Building is the Foundation:
the taller it is the deeper the foundation should be

Since I wrote in my previous post "wanted perfect wife" I also decided to write this post "wanted perfect husband". Because it would be imbalance and unfair if I would not write about the other side of the coin. As I said in the post "wanted perfect wife",I am not writing this post because I am looking for one but to simply share to you what are the expectations of being a husband and the how of it.

In the Philippines they have this quotations which defines the role that the husband and the wife play and it goes this way "Ang Ama ang haligi ng tahanan ang Ina ang ilaw na nagbibigay ng liwanag ng bahay". We could translate this in English this way "The Father is the post that supports the home and the Mother is the lamp that gives light to the home." For a building to last against earthquakes, flood,wind and waves the secret is the foundation. The deeper the foundation the stronger the building. The role of the husband in the family is to be the foundation, deeply buried foundation so as to be a strong support to the family. How would be a perfect husband?

There is a character in the Christian Bible that is a fit model and example of a perfect husband, that is Joseph of Nazareth the foster father and guardian of Jesus and the husband of Mary. Joseph showed that unconditional love for Mary so much so that he forgets himself for te good of the woman he dearly love. Happy the woman is who's husband is as perfect as Joseph. A man who is willing to sacrifice everything for the good of the other. A man who her wife never finds a single vice. The man who is always willing to lend a hand to do some of the house tasks despite of his tiredness from his work. A man who never seeks personal pleasure and never selfish. A man who only thinks of the good of his family and willing to spread his own heart like a carpet so that the others has a softer space to trod on. A man who knows when to fight for and when to give in his own ideas and personal preferences, when to say his words and when to stay quiet and calm.

Being a perfect husband is not for priveledge few for if you truly love a person you are willing to take everything for that person. But also it is not just a twenty four hour process instead it is a longtime practice and a strong conviction that everything is possible if you really want it.

"Wanted Perfect Wife": The Art of Being One

I was a bit hesitant on what shall I write at the tittle to this post. I write "wanted perfect wife" not because I'm going to search for one here but instead I'm going to share to you what is it to be a perfect wife. How lucky a man is if he has a perfect wife and how lucky too is the woman if her husband is convinced that he got a perfect wife! What is it to be a perfect wife then? Well these are some experiences I was able to grasp from people who had a successful married life.

A perfect wife is someone whom his husband finds at the door when he arrives from work. With her most affectionate smile she waits for him, ready to listen and give her service for him. What would a man look for if he comes home and find his house well kept and clean with a piece of flower arrangement at the living room table? Wouldn't he be eager to go home for dinner if when he comes at table he will be greeted with the beautiful aroma of a well prepared meal by his wife? Surely he will never think of eating out with his friends. Wouldn't he be eager to go for work if in the morning as he wakes up he will find his newly washed and finely ironed polo,pants,socks,ties and well polished shoes ready for him. He will always feel contented and satisfied when he enters the dining room for breakfast and he will be greeted by the aroma of a newly brood coffee and his favorite toast ready for him. What temptations will he not overcome when every morning as he leave for work,his wife is there waiting at the door to fix his neck tie and button his coat while kissing him goodbye with  the most affectionate blessing and smile.

These are just some of the things women who committed themselves to a man are expected to do though it is still advisable that you know each other so that in a way you know what each need at every moment. Just remember the wife is a support to the husband. The life of a wife is a life of service,unconditional service prompted by Love.

Turning your House into a Home: The Art of Bed Makeup

A neatly and well made bed is enough to clear a troubled mind and to calm an unrestful heart. For a house t be considered a home, the bed is an essential factor. Our homes should not look like army barracks or a camp tents. Here are some tips of a traditional bed makeup.

"after "mighter"or "envelop"

"mighter or envelope the edges"

"ice cream cone" fold of the top sheet

Your bed during the day

during the night

First you will need  your bed sheets; an under sheet, a top sheet,a blanket,pillow slips and pillow cases depending on the number of pillows you have, a mattress cover to protect the mattresses from stains and of course the bed cover to protect the linen from dust when not in use during the day and also so that the bed will look elegant when not in use. Of course you can add more sheets or blankets depending on the climate of the country you are in. This standard I am going to share with you is for the tropical countries.

Here's how we do the bed makeup. First lay down your mattress cover. Mattress cover could be as big as the size of the bed a bit thick with garters at the four side to hold it. This will serve as protector of your mattresses from stains and other liquids. Then lay down your under sheets, right side up. Tuck the top and bottom end under the bed then make a lighter on the four edges and tuck the sides under two. Then lay down the top sheet up to the head of the bed and wrong side up. Followed by the blanket up to one and a half feet lower than the head of the bed. Fold down the top sheet up to that edge of the blanket,then make another slanting fold. Tuck the bottom edge of the top sheet and the blanket under that bed then make the mightier on both edges then tuck the sides but loosely. Then put pillowslip on your pillows them put the pillowcases and position them on the head of the bed. Then put your bed cover on top when you are not to use your bed yet. 

The Art of Making Desicion

"What is essential is invisible to the eye", I can well remember these scene of the little prince and Mr. Fox in the play "The Little Prince". Indeed the essential things in life is invisible to the eye thus we have to be well formed and well informed so that we could see the essential things in life more vividly.

The art of making decision is a hard task and it takes a long period of practice and experience to be able to fully acquire this art. For often and more favorably we always need someone else to help us judge our decision and to guide us. Our consciences must be well formed and well informed. We also have to be very much knowledgeable about morality. In making decision we have to think first the common good. Remember it is not just you, everything you do affects the others thus we can not be naive and selfish. Then of course we have to consider the morality of our actions. Then to think and accept the consequences of the action that we are about to take. We have to be responsible of our actions. Even though our decisions is based on the direction and guidance of another person,we have to take it as our own. Docility is the openness to do what we are told to do and taking the act ad our own. In making decision we can never say "I have no choice"because in every circumstances they is always a choice and that is "yes" or "no".

The Art of Making your House into a Home

I would start by differentiating a house and a home. A house as we know is a four dimentional structure which serves as a shelter for people. A home is a place where people with the same ideology, who share the same dream,bounded by charity live together creating that family atmosphere, these people could either be a blood family or not. Therefore a house is not a home if that family atmosphere is not present among those who are living in it.

What is this "family atmosphere" thing? Family atmosphere or some say homey atmosphere is that something;an inkling or a feeling that you find in a home which makes you feel that you are safe and that you belong. This is what prompts you to be who you are, to share yourself and to give yourself in service. This is also an inner realization that a person feels that he is important because his human dignity is given importance. This family atmosphere is also that something that helps the person strive and struggle to become better each day.

This family atmosphere is felt when details are given importance up to the smallest details such as a neatly made bed, a nice and stylishly folded tissue paper in the washroom or a plated food for someone who comes home late for dinner. A simple greeting of good morning is so little but it could make a big push to someone who has been carrying a heavy weight inside. A smile sometimes is enough to lift up a suffering soul. Taking meals together as a family has a great effect in the psychology of a person. This is the moment in which everyone has the opportunity to be heard and to listen. A pleasant conversation during meal helps a lot in the human,spiritual and cultural formation of the members of the family. Meal time is the beat time to teach everyone through a healthy and pleasant conversation.

The Art of Perseverance and Fidelity in Relationship

People who are in love are like Doves:
 they share and they are always together

"Do not leave him and you will fall in love" or the other way around "You will fall in love if you don't leave him". I heard this play of words from two great men. Yeah its true,I share the same thoughts with them. Some believe in love at first sight but many share the same thoughts that love is something that grows within a relationship. Love at first sight is niy really "love" per se instead it is just a strong feeling of attraction towards the other person. Love is not like a mushroom that just pops up after the storm. Love is a strong bond that tightens and becomes stronger as the days goes by. The more the problems and difficulties you share with each other and the more quest you overcome together the tighter and the stronger the bond.

The secret of perseverance is fidelity and the secret of fidelity is perseverance. To persevere in a relationship means to be faithful every single day up to the tiniest detail. To be faithful means to be sincere to say everything and to be docile to do what is right accordingly. Perseverance is achieve by constant fediliry to each other. A committed person ,if he is really true to his commitment would not not and should not even think of things that would cause unfaithfulness. Infidelity is done when one person who is committed keeps something within himself or herself. In marriage the two in the witness of at least two persons vows to commit themselves to each other against all odds and with this vow the two became one. Now if these two become in , there should be no secret of sorts in them as in the body the head knows what the fey does and feels even these two ate opposite from each other. If things is too hard , remember that LOVE and with that get the strength to sustain your battle to conquer that difficulty. A soldier never gives up and you are a soldier in love. Do not leave him and you will fall in love. You will fall in love if you will not leave him.

The Art of Poetry

Poetry is an odd thing for me when I was little. One day my elementary school teacher ask me to deliver a poem in a graduation exercises and that cause me more trouble with poetry. Until one day in my senior high school years I was ask to make a birthday card for a friend in my circle. Now it happened that I never really get to know too much about that person so I had really a hard time thinking what to write in her card. Then an idea came up. I'll just play some words and there my passion for poetry was born.

The art of poetry is a wide scope because you can use it in many ways. Lovers expresses themselves through poems. A song is made from a poem. Great writers such as William Shakespeare write their stories in poetic style. Any passion can be expressed in poem. You can even do your meditation in a poetic way.

Poetry writing is a job that is hard to start and hard to end. Once you started a single line the words will just flow like a river that has burst its bank. And you will never know how and when to stop. A heart that is full of passion can write as many poems. Poetry is an outlet of a creative mind and a loving heart. But it's sad to say that poetry and poets like sea turtles are becoming extinct.

The Art and Beauty of Nature: Order

Sunset at Manila Bay

Have you notice how the leaves of the plant follow an order? Not a single leaf is out of place. Look at the fruit bearing tree,did you notice the cycle that it follow. Not a single fruit bearing tree bears fruit without first blooming flowers beforehand. Had you notice those small ants? They don't have eyes,ears nor intellect but they never get lost to other ant hill on their way in gathering food. Did you ever realize that not a single day will pass without a sunrise and a sunset. Of course science taught us how these phenomenon happen. But think if the wider vission of this phenomenon. Then you'll find yourself admiring the great architect that plans all this beautiful things around us.

Nature is beautiful. Its beauty is defined on the certain order that it follows. Order means the pattern that these natural things around us follows every single day. It is something that is not controlled by man.

Passion on the Fashionable Multiple Pierced Ears

Multiple pierced ears,is it reasonable to have one or no? Your contemporaries says "yes" but your grandma says "no". Having a multiple pierced ears is now one of the most normal fashion trend among young women. "One is not enough",they would say. Young generations loves to be in fashion and part of this is the multiple pierced ears but if you are working in the corporate world that would seem odd. Here's what I do to also be in fashion but without having a permanent multiple pierced ears.

Having at least double pierced ears is a sign of beauty for some culture but for sure you'll get some trouble with it when you apply for work specially corporate jobs and besides you'll surely get some scolding from your grand mama. Well for the younger generation its a great idea to look more attractive and good but for older people having multiple earings looks like goons for them. I also like multiple earnings so to be safer I used magnetic and  clampearings for my second and third earings. There are available of these in the market or you can make one for yourself. This is also a better option than having your ears pierced more than one because at least when you had to look more formal you can just remove your second and third earing very easily. And its more fashionable when you are free to change it depending on what image you want to portray during the day.

Cake Decorating and Trouble Shooting

Mocha cake with peaches on top.

Cake decorating is a great idea. But what if one day you had to decorate a failed cake? Here's some tips in trouble shooting in cake decorating.

Baking is a hard task because a single factor that is missed out will affect the finish product and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Well if there's nothing you can do in the baking process you can do a lot in decorating. We can apply the "magic touch". How? Well talk about this?

What if one day you had to make a last minute cake. With a lot of enthusiasm and excitement you made your cake then suddenly in the middle of your baking period your gas run out. Is this the end of the world? I tell you not. Surely your cake will lack height or worst there will be a hollow in the middle. What can we do? Your touch can make a lit of change. Here's what I did when this same situation came.

First half your cake crosswise. You will need here something for a filling inorder to fill that hollow in the middle and to level your cake. This can be w mixed fruit preserve or even fresh fruit slices such as peaches and mangoes. When you had sliced your cake,spread some icing on the lower half and lay down your fruit slices in it. Make sure you fill the hollow in the middle by putting more fruits in it. Then put on top your other half. And then put a generous amount of icing around and on top of your cake to make it look smooth. You can LSI add more fruit slices on top to add some height. The icing in the middle will help to add more moist on your cake thus you put a reasonable amount of it too.

There's nothing impossible in an artist hand and mind. Next time your cake failed don't get hopeless and try this tip.

The Art of a Lasting Relationship

Everyone dreamed of a lasting relationship but sad to say not many relationships lasts. Many think that forever is an impossible thing but is it really? Forever is just a hand stretch away though not many know how to grasp it or lets just say many knows the secret of achieving it but only few dares to face and accept the challenge. If forever is possible,what then is the secret of achieving it and how can we face and accept this challenge?

Relationship are like shoes is a
mutual self giving,one is not useful without the other

In this century when everything is just so easy,fast and swift,we human beings also tend to be fast,easy and swift even in iir relationships. Human being become more and more self-centered. We just think of the I, ME,MY,MINE,MYSELF. We erase from our vocabulary the word YOU,SHE,HE,THEY,OTHERS. And this is the reason why relationship never lasts. A healthy relationship is achieve when nobody think of self. Forget the I,ME,MINE, MY and MYSELF. in every relationship you create or you join,you do it because you want to give yourself. A relationship is a mutual self giving. If only one is carrying the whole load to make the relationship work, it will surely break. It is like a bicycle,when one tire is flat it may move for some distance but it will never last,it will give in and break . you want your relationship to last, stop being selfish. Know your self,know the others and engage yourself the common good. Remember you come to give yourself. Its a mutual self giving. the secret of a lasting relationship is  SELFLESS LOVE.

The Art of Flower Arrangement Series: Proper Instruments Needed

One of the top secret in flower arrangement is the use of proper instruments.  These are some of the instruments and their expected quality in order to facilitate effectiveness and efficiency in flower arrangement. The most important one is the scissors. There are different kind of  scissors in the market and they have also their own different uses. There is what we called a florist scissors, its a special kind of scissors made for trimming flowers and leaves. It almost look like a pliers but with a blade instead of the pliers' nose. It is designed so much so that it  can cut even hard stems. Then your sprayers,for rehydrating your flowers specially those that needs moisture like the roses. Then your floral foam. Floral foam are green or grey or sometimes black crumbly textured foam but firm whichbis use in flower arrangement. These foams are soaked in water overnight to let it get enough water that will sustain your arrangement. You also need some thin wires,these wires are available in flower shops or flower markets. These are used or inserted on the stems of hollow-stemed flowers such as daises to support it.  Some arrangement specially the ikebana you will need the circular mounting blocks or the pin blocks instead of the floral fiams. Of course different kinds if vases depending on the arrangement you want to make.

The vessels used in flower arrangement varies depending on how you want your arrangement will look and depending in where you are to put them. While in ikebana, customarily the vessels used in this arrangements are limited in shape,size and design. Use varying methods of arrangement for a banquet or a conference to transmit the difference in feeling. If you want to recall a ga den setting you can use candles and bamboo sticks for example. Or if you want to create a romantic atmosphere in your dining room you can op to dimmer light and candles. And if you want to recall "home" you can include in your arrang men some miniature boat, a bridge,house set, fishes,etc.

Coming up:tips in making arrangment proper.

The Art Of Flower Arrangement Series: Tips in Prolonging Flower Life

If the first principle of  flower arrangement is the selection of fresh flower with innate beauty then the next step is on how to prolong the life of the flower. These are some of thevmethods on how to prolong the life of your flower. Other could be more other methods available based on the different experiences of different florist. Buy this methods I'm gonna share with you are based on the accumulated knowledge I had from the different flower arrangement courses I had attended and of course from my handy experiences.

I'm going to share to you seven methods if this said topic. Let's start with the most common method that almost all of us know and do. This is done by submerging the stem of your flower in water then cut the stem while in water to prevent air from entering the stem. Another method is by using salt. We all know that salt helps in rehydration which is preventing the water from evaporating. This could also be applied in your flower by simply rubbing salt around the open end of the stem letting the salt to go up on the flower stem. Another way of prolonging the life of your flower is by immersing the stem in boiling water for about 1-2 minutes then remove and dip in cold water but make sure to wrap the leaves and flowers in newspaper to prevent wilting. Then the fourth option could be by scorching the cut end of the stem and then dip in cold water but also always make sure to wrap the leaves and the flowers with newspaper to prevent it from wilting. Another simple and quick method is by dipping the stem in vinegar or alcohol. If there is not enough moisture on the leaves use a wet newspaper to wrap them then hold upside down then pour water over bundle,could be another method. And finally when the arrangement is completed a syringe or a sprayer  can be use to squirt drops or water on the surface of the flowers.

Just some reminders if you have mums of any kind,the presence of water on the petals can hasten the life of the flower thus make sure there's no water in it while the rose you can spray water on its petals,the better.

Our next stop will be on the proper instruments in flower arrangement.

The Art of Flower Arrangement Series: Flower Selection

The first principle of flower arrangement is to select a fresh flower with innate beauty and arrange it to create a more beautiful impression. The freshness of the flower is an important variable in this art. I said ur is an important variable because it will also affect the life of your arrangement, up to when it will lasts. How to choose fresh flowers then? Here are some tips I am going to share to you in knowing which is fresh and which is not when buying flowers.

When buying flowers specially when you buy it in big flower markets which you can found huge varieties of flowers, we tend to get overwhelmed with what are we going to buy. Most often than not we wanted to buy to those of cheaper prices specially if we need a lot. With the vast quantity that we can see we sometimes get confused in determining the fresh from old once. One of the simplest way to see if the flower is fresh or not is through petal test. Fresh flowers has strong petals so that when you try to push it a little it will resist and puff then stand back while old flowers do not resist or has very weak resistance and usually it won't puff back. Then another test is the base test. Fresh flower has green base while old ones has brown. Another way of determining the freshness of a flower is the leaves. Fresh flowers has green leaves  without any yellowish spot. The leaves should be firm and easy to pick. Then next is check the stem. Fresh flower's stem has green outer covering and white and juicy looking in the inside. You should not also find any blue powder on  the stem and the leaves of the flowers if it is fresh since this blue powdery are results of the chemicals that are put in the water to revive the flower in which case it connotes that the flower is not fresh.

These are just some of the tips in choosing fresh flowers but there could be more base on your experiences. The next articles will be on how to prolong the life of your flowers. Keep in touch.

The Art of Flower Arrangement Series

Flower arrangement is an art not many people do posses but this does not mean that it can not be acquired. Like all other form of art flowers arrangement can also be acquired with constant practice and proper information. Here in this series of article I am going to share to you some tips on arranging flowers.  Here I am going to share with you my knowledge and some experiences on flower arrangement.

Arranging flower is not just merely on how to arrange it beautifully. I am also going yo share yo you in this series of articles some tips on how to choose hood kind of flowers. How to diferenciate fresh flowers from old ones. How to prolong the life of your flowers. Of course the basic ideas of flower arrangement. And what kind of arrangement for a certain occasion. And the how to arrange flower for different types of guest.

Stay with me and we will let the florist in you be noticed.

The Art of Listening

A person who do not know how to listen is an ill cultured person, an uneducated. To be effective it it necesarry to listen. All successful people in the history of the world are people who knows how to listen. Listening is a skill and therefore it is an art. If it is an art then it can be studied. No one is born on this world having already the skill of listening. A baby upon birth never listen the only thing she knoews is just to cry. Thus it is not an excuse for us to learn this art of listening. No one is born a listener instaed we learn how to listen as we develop in age and maturity.

An effective person knows how to listen. Listening is not just merely receiving information, it is also and in fact more importantly to be docile to that information. To be docile means to put that information onto action "in acto". The information that we receive should not remain as main words or info instead it should be transformed into a formation. The first step of docility is to accept the information that we receive and take it as our own. Only through this that the information that we have will become a formation.

To listen us a sign of being a cultured person. What is meant by cultured then? To be a cultured person means a well formed person. A cultured person is someone who is educated. It is someone who has values and manners. Therefore someone who is worthy to be respected.

Simplicity

Simplicity is Beauty

If art is beautiful and simplicity is beauty then simplicity is an art. What is to be simple? Simple means pure,plain,classic,and natural. To be simple means to be natural, to be plain,to be what it is philosophically speaking. When we say one is simple it means one is one, pure, no composition. Like in food a simple coffee for example is just a plain coffee without sugar and creamer,not a mocha,not a latte. In our daily life to be simple means to be who you are. There should be a conformity with what you think and feel with what you say and do. To say things as they are means  not to sugar coat your stories to make it sound good or yo make you look better from the point of view of the other person.Simple people just say or do what they think is proper without fear of being condemned or think bad of.

Of course we can not hide the tact that we all wanted to look good in the eyes of our friends or that the others will not have a bad idea of us but this shouks not hinder our being simple. Only one thing is necesarry and it is not what others will say or what others will think of you but what your own conscience is telling you. How peaceful a life is when your conscience us clear from any guilt of life! Even if others look bad at you but your conscience is clean because you know tdat your intentions are noble then "the truth will set you free". Anyway everything will come into the open as older people would say " there is no way to hide the smoke, it will manifest". So dont be afraid the truth will eventually shown itself. Just be simple. Simplicity is beauty.

Artistic Teaching

Many believe that our first school is our home and therefore our first teacher are our parents. We learn all the basics of life through our parents and this role of being a teacher is mostly played by the mothers since most commonly the father is the one working to support the need of the family.

By the time we reach the right age we start going to school. Starting from preparatory school,kindergarten, grade school, junior high school,senior high school then collage then for some masterals. Here we learn how to read and right,literature,culture,history and we study on some specific things; laws,sciences,etc. Thanks to our teacher who are ever patient to with us.

What is then the secret of teaching. I had attended a seminar on how to teach,and the speaker from Germany said "In teaching you have to capture the attention of your audience in the first thirty seconds of your talk,unless you are successful in this thirty seconds your whole time teaching in front of that class will be turned into nothing". Your conversation must be lively specially when you are teaching young people who has very short listening span. Audience participation is also important in effective teaching. People become more interested when they feel part of it. It is not just pure giving but also receiving. And remember when you ask thenvtheue opinion on certain matters never forget to include it during your discussion, they feel important when they  think that they are heard be they participate and become more attentive to you.

Another important tip in teaching is using stories as an example specially in younger generation. Young people love to listen to stories and they even prefer better on your own personal experiences. Of course another thing that teachers should not take for granted us the appearance;"first impression lasts".

Some teachers ko would ask the student to write what re thy expecting from the classes o that she I'll have a clue in what are their interest and uses these informations to catch the attention of her students. A well prepared class is the mist important thing in teaching. The students should not feel that it is they who are giving you the class not you giving it to them. Even if you are not not too expert in the matter you have to study bout it very careful and make sure you yourself is convince with what you are saying.and of course never forget to wear your biggest and most accommodating SMILE.

Mentoring is an Art

Life coaching and mentoring is not an easy task to do. Its not something you can just play with. Life like sports also needs coaching and mentoring. In the first world countries life coaching is a high end carrier like business consultants and food consultants. But there are some organization that gives this service for free with the single aim that which is to help other people in making decisions and also to form people so that even without the direction of another they will be able to make an upright decision for themselves and also they can even help the others.

In life coaching and mentoring one should have the disposition to accept some help and the other to help without putting personal biases. There should be openness in both parties. And also trust is an important aspect to be effective in mentoring. There could be some situations in which lack of trust is very obvious but despite if this you must look like you are convince but you must also try to seek more for the truth but it the  person is not willing to open up everything yet then just be contented with the things she told you until she's ready to say the whole truth.

Before becoming a mentor it is important that one has the full perspective of life because you have to deal people of different and varied situations and circumstances. One of the most important thing to study is Philosophy. The study of philosophy helps a person to understand better the flow of things,to know more of the different way of thinking of the person, the different capacities of each individual and through this she can guide the person better. Another things one must learn in mentoring is deepness in knowledge of morality. Morality is something essential in  each person whatever his or her background,believe,religion,knowledge. Morality is the basic knowledge each person has even without realizing it. The Moral Law is etuuten in the heart of every human being born in this world. Therefore no one is exempted to live an upright moral life. It is there so as to create unity and peace among all humanity inspite of our diferrences in culture,language,character,color,etc.

Of course another important factor you need to know being a mentor are the virtues. These are important to be effective in this carrier because in mentoring we are dealing with people who has heart,passions,emotions,and dignity of course. We are not guiding animals. And the subject of this carrier is LIFE itself something we can not commit error. Error is totally prohibited. Life is continues and any wrong actions can never be retrieve.

And the last thing is "WALK YOUR TALK". Example is the best teacher.

The Art of Spotsmanship

There is a motto that most of the local government units in my country are trying to implement during the summer vacations time that is April to June.  This motto goes "Say NO to drugs and YES to sports". This also became a program in the LGU unit to promote sports in order to keep the young people from engaging to addictive drugs. When a person is not busy in something he has all the time to think of his or her own things,that is selfishness and one of the effect of this is drug addictions. Due to bad company many innocent young people are engage to illegal drug addiction. And precisely due to this reason the local government units in every city promotes the summer sports league. These sports were swimming, badmintoon,volleyball,basketball,tennis,football,soccer,chess,baseball,sepa takraw, and boxing.

Today we had a  women's volleyball match. This match had been a way for us to learn better on sportsmanship. These are amateur players mostly so we had to teach and be patient with each other in order to have a better game. The end if the game is not to win but to gain more friends and to know more about each other. After the game we ask everyone to write their unforgeyable experience during the day and what they lean from it. One of the m write " Ang magaling na player at mapagkumbaba" which is translated in English as "A good player is not proud of her skills". This is precisely the true spirit of sportsmanship.Humility,acceptance and try again and again.

Sportsmanship can also be applied in our daily life. A sportive fighting spirit never gives up even in the most difficult situation. A sportive fighting spirit never give in to the wrong. A sportive fighting spirit continues to fight until her last. A sportive fighting spirit never tires of getting up and start all over again. A sportive fighting spirit never tries to think that the fight is enough. A sportive fighting spirit never step upon the other in order to reach the top.

The art of Courtship

I found myself unbelievable when I thought of this topic. But anyway I still wrote this with the desire to help you readers on how to impress the person whom you like to the point of them liking you too. Courting does not just apply in man to woman relationship. Courting in this post of mine particularly is with regards to the universal scope of it. What I mean to say is that courting could also be applied to your boss for example or to your in-laws or to your workmates and of course to someone you like I mean to the person who you want to be with all your life which the first idea that comes to our mind when talking about courtship.

How to be AMIABLE Or likable person? The first thing and is always the basic thing of everything I think is to "know yourself". Why? Because if you don't know yourself how will you be able to know the others and to let them know you. If you dont know yourself how will you be able to fit yourself in the life if the other. Especially in an biyfriend- girlfriend relationship you telly have to know yourself first and be in full control of it before you start courting the other. This is important because this entails maturity. A mature person is someone who knows and in full control of himself,his strength and weakness,his aims and goals in life,his dreams. You can't be in a relationship while looking for your own self, knowing who you are.

To amiable or likable us not based on your physical appearance, of course its an additional factor but it is not the first thing. As the saying goes " what is the good of a handsome face but the attitude is too bad that even the dogs will reject" . We have to build a good attitude. When you are in full knowledge and in full control of yourself you will surely be able to control your attitude too. Everything has its own timing. Nobody will reject someone who is so good in doing his work, responsible, diligent, full of initiative,respectfull, chherful, punctual,etc. Another factor is your words and manners. Even if the person is so good,so cheerful, so expert in his profession but speaks so badly I mean using ill language and cursing and does not have manners and etiquette he is still equal to nothing.

Another aspect is of course the personal appearance. Surely you will not like someone who looks like goons or someone who looks like a hermit who lives in the mountain cave for decades  and was lost in a big city of the twenty first century with long uncut hair and floor length beard and tattered clothes. First impression lasts they say thus why dont you also look your best.  It doesnt matter if youre beautiful or handsome, what matters is your bearing, the way you carry yourself. And always wear a smile. Once I met a stranger in the road whose shirt reads " You are not fully dressed without a smile". Therefore SMILE and remember  the golden rule DO NOT DO UNTO OTHERS WHAT YOU DO NOT WANT OTHERS TO DO UNTO YOU.

The Art of True Friendship and Confidence

I was gazing at a picture of my junior high school batch photo that was taken about eight years ago while remembering the memories of my junior high school years. There is a saying "High school life is the most unforgettable time of everyone's life" and also there is even a song that talks about this. The song is entitled "High School Life". Every one of us, I am sure you too who is reading this post right now is a living witness of the spirit of friendship and confidence in high school days. Indeed high school friends never  ends. What's in this relationship then that makes it lasts?

First thing I could note in high school friendship is the motto"one for all,all for one". True friendship is measured in times of need,dificulties and troubles. A loyal friend never leaves you alone. Even if things are too tight or too loose between friends,true friend never abandons. True friend knows where to put herself and when to do or say a thing. True friend is loyal to the point of telling you sincerely your faults and your good points and helping you overcome whatever you have to overcome and to develop whatever you need to develop. True friend loves you as you are. And is someone you can count on. In good times and in bad. True friend is someone whose shoulder is ready when you need to lean on,whose arms are ready to hug you when you need a tight embrase, who's ready to listen all your craziness,who's ready to be a punching bag when your too angry, whose palms are ready to slap you when you need to wake up to the truth,whose punches are ready ready to spunk you when you need to learn. A true friend is someone who will listen to you when you have problems with your personal relationship and ready to give you a good scolding. He is someone whom you can share the load without fear that he will betray you.

How is this related to confidence after all? Simple the secret of lasting friendship is confidence. Confidence to each other that no one will betray you no matter what and in return so you also should do.

Serviam!

To serve is a gift and an art. Not everyone has the gift to love service. Many times people always seek to be served instead of they themeselves give service. What is service then? Or what does it take to serve. To serve means to give yourself whole heartedly without expecting anything in return. To give without pay not just in little thing but also in big. Sometimes you even have to give up your own things, you have to spend a lot to be able to serve. Not everyone has this capacity and love for giving themselves for others. Selfishness has become a normal thing for many. How could we reclaim that lost tradition and art of giving service?

When we give service to others we dont lost anything in us instead service fulfills us. Service fulfills a human being. It raises the dignity of being a human person. Plus it also shows that we are a cultured persons. If we never serve how do we differ from the animals who never learn how to give themselves. Selfishness is a sign of an ill cultured person. .
I remember this idea that has been part of being human but now it seems lost. The idea is that "a real gentleman gives up his seat for an elderly, pregnant,invalid or women". Can you still look for a real gentleman now adays bearing this idea as the basis? This culture has almost been forgotten because people think "why should I give up my seat,I paid the same and I'm also tired" which is really rooted in pride and selfishness. Yes we paid the same and we are all tired, who's not? But at least we are still able, these people have difficulties in their life something you can't imagine. Too bad many people are blind enough to realize this situation. Your seat is not even enough to comfort their suffering.

Another simple way of giving service to others is to "smile". Sometimes your smile is enough to give encouragement to a downcast heart of a stranger. Sometimes a simple smile is enough to save life. And to make the day of someone who is secretly suffering.

Service through a smile. How much could you do through that effortless smile! You'll never know the greatness of your smile.

Happy to serve.

Fixing A Broken a Heart

I was laughing as I wrote the title of this post. I found this funny but I thought I could help you who always wanted to help  someone who has a broken heart.

"You know where to start fixing a broken heart",one English song say. Do you also know where to start fixing a broken heart? Here we are going to tackle about this.

A broken heart is always hard to fix. If its a broken tire you can always go to a vulcanizing shop to have it fixed. If its a broken table you can always have it fixed by a carpenter. If its a broken vase you can always glue them together. But a broken heart is the hardest thing to fix.

Sometimes when we see someone who is broken hearted we always feel the pain that the person is suffering especially when we ourselves have experience the same thing before. We always want to help ease the pain but most of the time we don't know what to do.

Here are some tips in this art: fixing a broken heart. The best thing is always to let the person talk about it and you listen. Sometimes things are just too hard because they have no one to talk to. They are not able to air out the ache inside them. Sometimes your job is just to listen to them. Heart ache is like a stone that the person have been carrying for some time,a heavy stone that he can't put down. Help the person out down that stone. Second is to make the person understand that there is no use in remaining in the past, we have to move on,there is always tomorrow. Support the person to move on. Be like a walking cane for him or her. A friend is need is a friend in deed. You can do a lot being a friend. Dont judge the person because always remember you can not judge the heart of the person.
Provide a very logical reason to help the person move on and let him or her feel your support. Let him/ her realize that he/ she is not alone in this field of battle. Making the person busy if doing other things is a big he'll in the produced as of forgetting. Fixing w broken heart is also an art everyone can try to develop.

Do you experience the same pity to your friends suffering from a broken hearted? And you want to help although you don't know where to start? I hope I give you a hint on this art.

The Vocal Art:Singing

Is singing a gift for previledge few or a skill everyone can learn? I remember that year I live with one of the sisters of a great Filipino composer and conductor. The woman that gives me the inspiration to love and cultivate my singing skill and the singing skill of many other.

How much trust could do? Not everyone in our group has the good singing voice but she trusted our learning skill and she believe that we will learn,it is just matter of time. And true enough at the end of the year when we have to separate ways we bring with us one gift,the skill to sing well.

Do not be afraid if you think you dont have a singing voice. Singing us not just about sopranos and high pitch voices. You just have to discover what is your voice be it soprano,alto,tenor, and base. Then cultivate it. Now a days acapella singing is very in time. Many acapella group singing has been making thier way to fame like the PENTATONIX for example. Lower voices are important in acapella singing,it gives gives the life so never worry if you dont have the soprano voice.

The secret of singing is the same with the other art forms. Its the passion that you have. Let your felling flow down to your throat. Of course learn the proper skills. I remember one Irish friend telling me,"Here in the Philippines you sing like angels,your voices are from the diaphragm but in Ireland and in other European country we sing with our vocal chords". If course this is Aldo another cultural diferrences but to we are taught to sing using the diaphragm to reach the higher notes. And if the notes is too high we have what we call the head tone its almost like imagining the note.

My instructor use to tell us " You've seen that wall in font of you,pointing the wall of the room, imagine yourself throwing your voice on that wall  making it bounce back around the room. That's how to have a powerful voice. You must see your voice bouncing the walls. Singing is not just a matter of your voice,your imagination, effort, passions and emotions too are needed in it. You must feel the song before you are able to sing it perfectly. If you can't out yourself in that sing for sure you will not be able to sing it.

Culture is an Art

This past months I was able to in a way see the overview of the different culture of people around the world. I've got friends from the different corners ot the earth and thanks to them I was able to experirnce the "in acto"of the things I learned from the books I read.

Amazingly there are many differences in the culture of the different countries but we also have many similarities. Although we do the things differently but the basic is always the same. Culture is like a painting,each artist uses different materials,some uses canvas other uses paper,some uses water color others uses oil paints,every painter uses different subjects but the product is the same "a beautiful work of art". The painting maybe a flower,or a sea,or a sunrise, or a human being,or an animal but no matter what it is it is a painting. The culture of every nation maybe different,take for example marriage some prefers fixed marriage other prefers marriage of true love. Or the simple thing if the woman would just remain at home to take care of the family or to also work to help the husband earn for their living,each person depending on the culture of the country prefers differently. Or just the simple way of showing respect to the elderly even varies. For the European they do the "beso-beso",the French  they kiss three times,the Filipinos they do the "Mano po",for the Japanese they do the bowing of head,for the English they do the curtsy,for the Americans the shaking of the hands but the idea of all these is the same and that is respect.

We have to learn the culture of the other people so that we will know how to real with them. It is part of human respect that we also consider the culture of the people around us. should r can't be naive to these future differences because many times misunderstanding occurs when we forsake our culture differences. We sometimes tend to judge when we see people act differently as we do because we never know that this is how they to the things in their country. Or sometimes we offend people because we do not consider their culture and we do the things that for them it should not be done.

Do you also see the art of culture.? Share your own cultural experiences in which you can say that "culture is an art".

A Chef Made out of Seven Eggs

A day of seven eggs I use to joke it.

In culinary arts,the first things you must learn are of course the basic thing about cooking. First you must learn the different cooking equipments and their proper uses. Then the product identification. Then thr different cuts. The next  would be "a day of seven eggs". I choose to out this as the tittle because I never thought I will learn everything about cooking through these seven eggs.

During our first cooking hands on during my culinary training,we were ask to bring a even medium size egg.  I never really get to connect the idea if the seven medium size egg with the baric of cooking. I even have the critical thought that after all we will just learn the same thing I learn at home,cooking eggs. Little did I know that through that egg I will be able to master the different cooking techniques.

With that seven eggs,my culinary teacher has taught us everything about the basic cooking methods. What we did with that egg? We had cook them of course. One egg we made a sunny side up,one is for the hard boiled egg,another one is for soft boiled,another we poach,another we had the scrambled egg,then we made the other one into a Spanish fried egg and the other one we made into an egg omelette.


Is that all? ,you might wonder. There is nothing great in it after all,you might say! I thought the same way too before I saw the missing link. How will I justify this.?

Breaded chicken breast with creamy mustard sauce
garnished with steamed squash and snowpeas

Through these seven eggs we learn how to determine correct timing in cooking. You will never achieve a perfect soft boiled egg and a perfect hard boiled egg if you dibt follow the perfect timing. Your soft boiled must be really soft,sof enough so that when you  break it the egg yolk is flowy but cooked.And your hard boiled egg should not oxidize. Oxidation occurs when the egg is overcooked,characterize by the presence of black or greyish color on the yolk. A perfect hard boiled egg has a little soft part in the middle of the yolk,never too dry all over. Now another thing is with the two fried egg. What is the difference between a sunny side up and a Spanish fried egg or simply fried egg. Some people critize saying "is this a fried egg?" when they see that the yolk if the fried egg is cooked. Ac dually there different kind of fried eggs. First is the sunny side up,as it is called it looks like the morning sun. The yolj is soft and you can see it clearly seated at the center of the white. Another kind is the Spanish fried egg. Unlike the sunny side up,Spanish fried egg,the yolk is a bit cooked some people cover the pan to cook the yolk,other would pour hot oil in the egg to cook the upper part. The Spanish fried eggs is also characterize by a crunchy sides. Another one is the Filipino fried egg,this is done by simply turning the egg to Cook the other side. These fried eggs taught me the different technique in frying. The importance of the oil temperature and timing are the secret in frying.

Another technique I learn through egg is the poaching technique. In poaching egg you must add acid to your water to facilitate coagulation. Boil the water with vinegar then lower your fire and wait a little until the water is not in motion before you out your egg slowly on the water. When the water is moving the egg will scatter making it ugly when cooked. Just live your egg in the water till its cook,dont move the water while your egg has not set yet.this technique works the same when poaching meat and fish.

Through the omellete andvyhe scrambled egg our teacher taught us the technique of  cooking through the direct heat medium and how to sauté correctly.

These are simple cooking styles but these are the basic that we should know before we become a good cook and a chef.

Perfect Side Dishes

Perfect side dishes

As I said in the last post I had,side dishes are also important in food presentation. When you prepare your dishes you also have to consider the perfect side dish that will go with it. The side dish doesn't have to be so intricate,a simple and yet well flavored side dish that blends well with the dish is more recommended.

Here are some of the side dishes I use to some particular dishes.
* grilled pork - your side dish could be any of the following:
-grilled ripe dessert banana
How to prepare?
1.Cut ripe dessert banana into half lengthwise
2. Grill the open side in a hot grill (preferably griller with tlkines to create a beautiful crisscross design)
3. Can be serve either hot or cold

You can also use fresh pineapple slices or rounds instead of banana.

* buttered vegetables like carrots,Baguio beans, snow peas, sliced potatoes, couliflower,young corn,broccoli, French beans are also good side dish for dishes cooked using the dry-heat method like baked or barbeque.
How to prepare ?
1.wash the vegetables and cut to desired slices
2. Blanch(up to 50% doneness)
3. Place in a bowl and mix with butter while hot.(if you use salted butter no need to put salt but if you use unsalted then season with salt according to your desired taste)

*Pickled fruits and vegetables are also good side dishes

How to prepare?
You can use either of the following fruits,vegetables and root crops for tour pickles.
Ideal fruits for pickling:
*philippine mangoes (normal size mangoes best found in the Philippines specially in Guimaras island,Cebu and Batangas)
*Indian mangoes(small and almost Apple like structured mangoes can be little sour to bland)
*carabao mangoes(long and very sour type of mangoes found in the Philippines)
*paho mangoes (slim type of mangoes found in the visayan region of the Philippines)

*** all mangoes goes the same preparation process. First peel them,then slice into three discarding the seeds. Slice the flesh into thin slices

* turnips - these are root crops brown in color on the outside but pur white in the inside, crispy and sweet in taste. Peel them and slice into sticks

*cucumber- there are two varieties of cucumber,one is with the green color which are common in the international market and the other one is yellow in color which is found in the Philippine market known as "pepinong pinoy". Wash and slice into half centimeters thick

*ampalaya or bitter gourd- there are techniques in preparing this for pickling. First is to cut the ampalaya lengthwise,then remove thoroughly the seeds and the white lining, cut into small strips crosswise. Then add a generous amount of rock salt into it and mix. Let stand for some minutes till it excreeys some water. Then squeeze the bitter gourd with your hand to remove the water until well dehydrated. And your bitter gourd is now ready for pickling. Some natives would say "smile while preparing your bitter gourd so that it won't taste bitter" but your culinary experience could tell you whether to believe this or not,its up to you but there's no wrong in trying.

*papaya-unripe but not young,just the in between. These are peeled,remove the seeds and agreed using medium size shreeder

* raddish- there two varieties of taddish. One is the small, round,red raddish usually use for salads. The other on is the long and white long raddish almost like the carrots though white. We usually use the latter for pickling. These are peeled and sliced into thin rounds . These riot crops smells so bad but the smell can be remove by again using salt as the bitter gourd. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt on the sliced reddish andix thoroughly until eater start to come out then squeeze the raffish using your hands until all the liquid are remove.

All this fruits and vegetables share the same pickling solution which is very simple and easy to prepare. It does need an expert to make this.

You need:
1 cup Vinegar
1 T Salt
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup water

Mix them together and boil. Then lower your heat and simmer the solution leaving it uncovered until the vinegar lost its sour smell. But check once in a while if its not burned because sugar is easy to burn.
When pickling solution is the ready remove it from fire and pour it to your prepared fruits and vegetables.

* Another good side dish is grilled corn. Boil the corn first for 20 minutes then grill enough to create a grill lines on its seeds

* You can also try making the Yorkshire pudding as a compliment for baked Jamaican baby back rib for instance. There are lots of available recipes that are simple and easy to prepare Yorkshire pudding.

* You can also use steamed vegetable for your side dish. You can steam cube squash for instance.

*Or you can blancj or steam native petchay or  Chinese bokchoy with oyster sauce.

* salads is also another simple and yet perfect side dish. You can choose from the varieties of salad styles that would be perfect for your dish.

* If you have Korean dish you can use fried sweet potato as side dish too. Or if you have Indonesian you can use kropek (fried crackers) and always with the chili sauce and rice.

These are only some of the many side dishes you can prepare with your dishes. Your dish doesn't have to be expensive to make it look festive and special,the secret is on your side dish and the plating.

I hope this posts inspires you to go to your kitchen and prepare a dish for your love ones.

Stay connected for more post on cooking tips.

This grilled salad could be a perfect side dish too.