Angelic Dreams, Happy Days

I've been having dreams of angels recently - similar images of that Blake drawing on the left. Can't help but write it down. I was flying with them on the rooftops and saw the Chrysler Building's shadow in the sunrise.

Then I was picking fruits. Lots of them. Then I was baking baguettes. Lots of them too. Weird.

Yesterday, I got some great news. Something is coming true very soon...

Love- and How to Brew the Perfect Tea

Strings of kimono untied, a glass of tea, some flaky wafers... and a letter from a Zen monastery. The love of my blog life Mr. Hun wrote the other day.


First, you brew the tea.

You'll need:
A kettle for boiling water
Teapot
2 cups

200 ml hot water for warming the teapot and cups
6 grams Earl Grey Tea Leaves
360 ml boiling water
Sugar or honey- optional


1. Pour water into the teapot and cups and swirl them around to warm all over. Throw the warming water away.
2. Spoon the tea leaves into the warmed teapot.
3. Gradually pour the kettleful of boiling water into the tea leaves, then while pouring, lift the kettle high up in the air up to two feet. This will enable the tea leaves to “jump” and incorporate enough air necessary for the tea leaves to bloom and release flavor.
4. Steep for five minutes.
5. Pour into the warmed tea cups, pressing the leaves to get those "golden drops"- the tartest part of the tea.
Can be served with or without sugar or honey.

Note: Iced Tea and Tea Au Lait have different proportions altogether.

***************************

Next, read a love letter.

My dearest Foodhuntress,

First, thank you for all your kind words. You are so nice to me. Words can't describe what I feel for you. You caught my attention with that book about the Zen monastery. I will look for it. Sounds like my kind of reading so thank you. I have so much admiration/love/passion for you, you have no idea. You can trigger that 'whole range of emotions' within me with just a few words. That's how special you are to me. What would have been the odds of meeting you? 1 out of 6 billions. But yet again, nothing happens by chance alone. All forces participate at everything on our favor indeed. I feel like we are growing together. :-)

I am glad to be in touch with you again. Even at the age of internet, I could still feel that my world is built in the 16th century. Everyday I wake up at 4 am to do some meditation, and believe me, our diet here of pickled radish and tea has made me lose weight I think I could levitate everytime. How's your blog going now? How are the kitchens? I miss you.

There's something that got me thinking these past weeks. There's something about intimate relationships that is deeply flawed and ultimately dysfunctional. Falling in 'love' on the physical plane can be deeply satisfying at first. You feel intensely alive. Your existence has suddenly become meaningful because someone needs you and makes you feel special and you do the same for him or her. It can get so intense that the world that surrounds the lovers fades away. The downpart to this is the neediness and the clinging to that intensity. You become addicted to the other person like to a drug. You are on a high when the drug is available but the thought of 'losing' that person can lead to jealousy, possessiveness etc... Where is the love now? Was it true love in the first place or just an addiction?

On the other hand, true love has no opposite because it arises from behind the mind. I agree with you when you said human relationships should be rooted from the inside and love will manifest in different forms. You are becoming a radiant being yourself, I can feel it. I'm so proud of you. Now i know the distance between us is in fact a blessing my love, we speak to each other from the heart, we don't need to pretend or play a role. What we experience for each other is true love. I am certain. I love you and I'm sincerely thankful to have known you too. :-)

In essence, we must be like an empty cup- never too full of ourselves.

I'm not saying you should avoid relationships altogether. Closing the door is not the answer. Sometimes the pain of a failed relationship will force you into awakening, there's always something to learn in any situation, good or bad. Go out there and live your life my darling. Seize the day. I will still love you no matter what, I promise. You've got my word for it. :-)

Happiness and unhappiness are the two sides of the same coin, like day and night. In the cycle of life, happiness will always be followed by unhappiness because they are both created by the mind, the ego. Happiness is like the surface of the ocean. It can go from calm to fury (unhappiness) very quickly. Only the deep waters remain unchanged no matter what happens on the surface. Beyond happiness and unhappiness there is a deep inner peace. I think that's what the Buddha meant by 'happiness is the source of all suffering." But what do I know?

When we bring intense presence into our lives and we stop worrying about the future and complaint about the past we start moving beyond duality, and beyond good and bad lies the bliss you often hear about in Buddhism. On the physical plane we will never be complete, you are either a man or a woman and the only tiny glimpse at wholeness we get is during a loving sexual intercourse. The act in itself is quite symbolic, isn't it? On the spiritual plane, that One-ness is within each one of us all the time. Waiting to be discovered. It's within reach. Realizing it is Nirvana but I like to think of it as a big spiritual orgasm instead. Haha. I'm baaad, but you know that already! I love you, I really do. How did I get from this spiritual talk to wanting to take off your clothes so badly? You are too intense for me, I can't take it. Hahaha. Sorry.

Good luck with your job my darling. There are hard times, I know how sometimes you break in tears but all of that will go away one day. I'm sorry I can't be there for you. Sometimes the arrangement of the planets can really be so tricky we have to deal with it. Don't worry too much. You can always look back at your life and connect the dots, and you'll see that pattern what had made you who you are right now. I don't know how much waiting this would take us – how far, or what lies beyond. But let's not think of these things right now and live everyday to the fullest. Think of me less everyday. Have fun, enjoy a date- follow your heart.

I love you.


Mr. Hun

P.S. Have I told you I've shaved my head? :)

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Flores de Mayo

I've blogged a little about the May month last year and it seems that more than any other time of the year, I've developed a penchant for the month of flowers. Everything about here is lovely.

Way back in the days, young girls were on the lookout for flowers in May. Then they'd pick these flowers, put them in baskets and shower them to the Virgin after the Rosario and the cancion. They do this for the whole month, meaning 31 days, picking flowers and going to church everyday. Just another tradition left by the Spaniards, if you'd ask me.

More than the flowers, the Flores de Mayo is about prayers. The elders say that praying everyday is the way to great luck. They did not specify what kind of religion this pertains to (though I was raised Catholic), but we were just ordered to recite some prayers everyday. As a child I have honestly been a little too impatient for such. Imagine, kneeling down and saying the same things over and over again for fifteen minutes. In my grandparents' house, the seriousness of the prayer sessions have given my younger brothers a great opportunity to make funny faces, (the elders, deep in concentration, pray with their eyes closed, so they couldn't really see what's going on) and giggling during the prayer process means a good whacking on your backside afterwards. I almost always seemed to have a painful backside.

Another good thing about Flores de Mayo is that there's food after the flores. There used to be sponsors- mostly the moneyed people in the community - who'd send all sorts of biskwit, candies, sometimes pansit, and on the last day, the "richest" sponsor gave the grandest "suhol".

I see Flores de Mayo as a dying tradition now in my hometown. Not sure what happens in the other Philippine provinces, but in our place, it is no longer a grand as it used to be. There was no one to teach the Spanish songs anymore, for those old ladies who did, already passed away a long time ago. I think where ever ther are, they are still singing-

La Virgen de amores

Venid a cantar

Pungamos las flores

Al pie de su altar...

... O clemente, o pia

O dulce, o dulce

Siempre Virgen Maria!

Because You're... Sheep!

No lamb chops today, please.


I was once invited by a very good godmother/ friend at her vacation house. It was a very happy day for me. Because I saw some sheep grazing around.



And a sheep, sheep here…

A sheep- sheep there...

Here a sheep, there a sheep...



Everywhere a sheep- sheep....

But the luckiest Sheep is housed in this cozy cabin..with lots of warmth and food.

**************
Year of the Sheep: 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003

The Sheep Personality: Born with innate luck being the 8th sign in the zodiac, people born in the year of the sheep are tied with good fortune. It is said that they don’t have to struggle too hard to get the pleasures of life. Highly accomplished in the arts, Sheep people are natural peacemakers. The Sheep is also the most feminine of all signs. They have good taste in food, artwork, and are almost always elegantly- dressed. Dreamy individuals, they resign to their make- believe worlds when reality becomes too harsh for them to bear. In times of disaster, Sheep people are the first to retain and to function with a stylish composure.

Sheep people are: Elegant, Creative, Intelligent, Well- mannered, Sweet-natured, Tasteful, Inventive, Homespun, Persevering, Lovable, Delicate, Artistic, Amorous, Malleable, Altruistic, Peace- loving (REALLY??)

But they can also be: Pessimistic (worry-wart to the nth power), Fussbudget, Dissatisfied (sometimes), Capricious, Intrusive, Undisciplined, Dependent (true to me), Irresponsible, Unpunctual, Insecure (so true)

The Aries Sheep (b. April 20, 1979) The Aries Sheep is a bit of a brawler. The agitation in question glows from within. The Sheep, represented in the Chinese zodiac as the ‘small fire’, herein meets its ‘big fire’ cohort. Aries are snappy warriors. Sheep fight their battles with passive resistance. Conflicting points of view arise within the Aries Sheep. She would do well to use the art or music to calm this nature. In such areas she will shine.
Because Ariens are influenced by Mars, the God of War, and the Sheep are of peace and the arts, the Aries Sheep must strike a balance between the two. Ariens make good military people, surgeons, butchers, firemen , such professions that involve the trade of fire and the spear. The Sheep on the other hand, are natural- born artists, they will flourish extremely where artistic ideas are involved.

Famous Sheep Personalities:
Michelangelo (artist), Bill Gates (mogul), Nicole Kidman (actor), Masaharu Morimoto (chef), Valentino, (designer), Daniel Boulud (chef), Zhang Ziyi (dancer/ actor), Catherine Deneuve (actor), Mick Jagger (musician), Julia Stiles (actor), Coco Chanel (fashion icon), Yo Yo Ma (cellist)… Foodhuntress (chef, blogger :P )

Famous Aries Personalities:
Vincent Van Gogh, Adolf Hitler, Nikita Khrushchev, Elton John, Leonardo da Vinci, Hans Christian Andersen, Arturo Toscanini, Daniel Day Lewis, Charlie Chaplin,

Compatibilities:
Rabbit – topping the list in all zodiac partnerships, this is an excellent match
Pig – fruitful match in both marriage and business
Horse- the courage of the horse inspires the sheep
Snake – cunning snake is intellectually- stimulating

The Sheep In 2009:

Feng shui experts agree that the Year of the Ox will be hard for the Sheep. The Ox is the opposite of the Sheep in the zodiac, the former being pragmatic, has little patience for the dreaminess of the latter. I decide to disagree. I was born in the Hour of the Ox, and my youngest sister, a Leo Ox, has the biggest tolerance on earth for me (or maybe her Leo streak is highly compatible with my Aries sign). The Ox is also said to be a lucky sign because it visited by the so- called Golden Deities (I heard this from Maritess Allen). Of course I agree.

The Year of the Earth Ox is a time for plowing and sowing the seeds, and turning the wheel of fate. If we have been very dreamy in the Year of the Rat, sketching our plans on paper, now is the time to be very industrious to make those plans a reality. The Sheep must take care of its health as work will be hard. She must plan her schedules very well and pay less attention to gossips, politics and small talk. Focus, focus, focus! When she succeeds, the Sheep will change tremendously, leading her to even more successful heights.

Forecast and advise:
Use the inherent sharpness of the Arien spear to increase focus. Plan your wars strategically. Be industrious and defy the unpunctuality of the Sheep trait. Use your Sheep luck to its fullest potential by being very disciplined. Not an excellent time for love affairs. You have work to do (and five restaurants to open- OMG!), and duh- get real! (This is going to be another great year- better than ’08, Lucky Sheep - so don’t worry). Plus, numerology is 2009= 11, (1+1) which becomes #2. My birth number is 20 (2+0) =2. Ergo, 2009 which totals at 2 is highly favorable for those with birth #2.

Now, go back to work!


With notes from: The Book of Chinese Chance by Suzanne White (and good prophecies from elsewhere)

Love Grows in the Wilderness

Before something ends, it is customary that we look back a little and wrap up on things- events that occurred, places we went to - anything that transcended our lives.

My love story commenced this year.

It went like this. I was innocently playing in the field like a sheep in spring when this… this tall, hairy brute that looks like… (scroll below), bottle in hand, appeared among the trees then walked towards me in long strides and said, “I love you (hic) … and I want you (hic)… so badly.”

I was thinking, albeit a little hesitant to pay attention because he looked intimidating, Who the hell are you, deranged lunatic?

Admittedly, for all my being commander in chief at the kitchen, I am extremely aloof with men in real life: the first to be nervous, and the last to decide – when yes means no, and no means maybe. On the other hand, I am always expecting that the man should impress the woman -a woman is nature’s most impressive creature anyway, she doesn’t have to try too hard.

Anyway, I saw this - let’s call him for now, Attila the Hun* - and what made me a little half afraid was the possibility that in the middle of the night, he’s most likely to shout, “Spartaaaaaa!!!”- at the height of passion than whisper sweet nothings in your ear.

Would you trust this man?

Talk about being wooed. This barbarian has a hypnotic charm that just got me.

The persistent wooing of Mr. Hun took some weeks until my heart softened like butter for pastry… and I started asking a few questions to him. In my heart, an unmasked affection blooms.

It is said that sheep people are secretive. Soon, myself and Mr. Hun had to escape the mad crowd of our working lives and sought some privacy in the field. Mr. Hun turned out to be a perfect gentleman despite my lunatic first impression.

Fortunately those trysts (where we rolled in the grass like animals gone wild) have never been in vain as I learned many things of my trade, reinvented my soul, and spoke amorosities in four languages (an ability I never knew I ever possessed). We read Neruda sonnets and food odes, ate ice cream, and talked what little we know about philosophy, existentialism, and Bushido and paintings and monks, watched the seasons…kissed like there was no tomorrow… until the stars disappeared in the horizon. We both agree too, that the Cirque du Soleil can give you that high without having to take off your clothes.

But one great lesson I learned is, for the survival and propagation of the species, bed skills are more important than kitchen skills. Oh yes!

FH: At a scale of 10, how would you rate yourself?
AtH: At what?
FH: In… bed?
AtH: (laughs) Hmmm…I know you’d ask me that...
AtH: 12.7?

No comment.

To cut the story short, oh, yes, despite the tugging and pulling, and loving and the resistance, the Huntress did have a strong emotion towards the Hun. He had about a dozen knives and is very skilled with all of them; can hunt, fish, and wrestle than me much better… and has a strong temper he could bomb cars (has no effect on me, though). And the truth is, I like men better when they have fire in their eyes. They are the ones who blaze the trails of life. Which he definitely has.

But what Mr. Hun has told me- and I too believed- love is not about the postcard perfect-picture of lovers nor the ring on our finger. While all of that is necessary us being physical and social creatures, them too will fade away for in the end , we are ethereal and spiritual creatures (his favorite terms). At the end of the tunnel, everything is posted with newspapers. Love, then, is all about formlessness. It has no structure- no cookie cutter expectations about how one should be. It doesn't matter if both of you are seriously flawed- love is continuous and seems to be always existing. You use it – to change your life, straighten your path in the woods, or rearrange your destiny- and love will never wear out.

Love manifests in the NOW – who you are, who you were, and who you will become.

Of course, my love story with the Hun, inexhaustible and perfect as it is…continues. The universe only adds to that which we already have.

*************

“…In you, the tongue receives a kiss, from ocean night:
Taste imparts to every seasoned dish your essence;
in you, I taste infinitude. “

-Pablo Neruda, Ode to Salt

*Name has been changed to protect privacy. We have to borrow photos…because it is a crime to publish his.