Filipinos and Food: No Reservations

I finally got around to watching the Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations: Philippines episode that has been lying in my DVR for weeks. I knew it was going to be a good show when I saw Anthony Bourdain and Ivan Dy dipping fishballs from a Chinatown street vender into a jar of chili sauce. And when he dug his spoon into a goat stew at a roadside "kambingan" ("place that serves goat"), I was so envious. The soupbowl still had the entire goat's head in it, complete with skullbones, tongue, brains, eyeballs. I wished I were the one sucking the eyeball, not Anthony. I know it sounds disgusting but it's not -- trust me, you haven't lived until you've tasted that rich, meaty flavor!

Okay, that was a lame attempt at an April Fool's Day joke. You know I'm right of center when it comes to food. It sounds disgusting and it is (at least I think so). That goat stuff belonged on the other show I watched featuring Filipino cuisine (Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods); this one featured mostly mainstream dishes. I actually did watch most of the show wishing I had a plate of whatever they were eating in front of me. Alfie and I were literally salivating over the sizzling sisig (chopped pig's ear -- it tastes waaay better than it sounds) and lechon (roast suckling pig, which Bourdain proclaimed the Best Pig Ever).

My final thoughts at the end of the show: I want sisig.
Alfie's final thoughts: I think I get it now. Food is to Filipinos what Tea is to the English!

Read more of my thoughts on the episode on my Filipina Moms post.

Tweet that Earthquake, baby!

A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit San Jose just ten minutes ago. I was editing some photos when I felt the trembling. It didn't feel like much in Palo Alto; just as I realized what it was, it was over (3Po and Jammy didn't even notice it; they insisted the shaking was because they were jumping around ,playing one of their Webkinz ninja fighting games). Over where Alfie works, it felt a lot stronger; Alfie told me his building was swaying!)

So, all in all not a real huge biggie, especially in California -- but my reaction was striking. The first thing I did to confirm my suspicions was search twitter for the keyword earthquake. And sure enough, everyone was tweeting about it. There were about 5000 tweets in the first 20 seconds of the earthquake alone! And there have been thousands more since I started this post. Now you know where to get all the breaking news....

Monday Mornings: Yoga

Lately 3Po and Jammy have been joining me in front of the television whenever I pop in an exercise DVD. They are so serious about following the instructor and "getting my body healthy" that it's difficult not to smile. One weekend morning Alfie captured our mommy-and-me yoga session. I tell you, there is no better way to start the day than watching your five-year-old attempt to stay in Vrikshasana without toppling over doing some yoga.

How is your morning going? If you leave a link to your Monday Morning post in the comments section, I'll go visit and leave a comment.

Where's Jammy's Hand?

I couldn't resist featuring yet another shot of Jammy snowboarding at Soda Springs. In case you're wondering, his left hand did not fall off due to frostbite. Maybe he put it in his pocket to keep it warm!


For more hands, click here.

Wordless Wednesday

My sister just sent me a cd with a whole bunch of childhood photos that she scanned into digital format. While it's been fun looking at the photos, I have to admit that after I had finished looking at all of them, one of my first thoughts was: I'm not as cute as I thought I was! I was comparing my reaction to Baby Bonggamom to our photos of Pea, 3Po and Jammy, and I was definitely coming up short on the cuteness factor. Which makes my reaction perfectly natural, I guess, since most parents think their kids are the cutest in the world. I wonder what my parents thought of me -- did they think I was the cutest thing ever? -- and how their children compare with their grandchildren? What will I think of my grandchildren?


Oops, this was supposed to be Wordless Wednesday. Oh well; I'm sure these people are better at Wordless Wednesday than I am.

Monday Mornings: Let's Party!

It's Monday again, and there's a spring in my step because it's that time of year again....no, not just spring, it's 5 Minutes for Mom's mom blogging event of the year, the Ultimate Blog Party 2009! It runs all week, from March 20-27 all over: the blogosphere, Facebook, Twitter (use hashtag #ubp09), and three Real Live Parties in NY, LA and Nashville.

So let's get this party started! Have a wine truffle...


Or some decadent Food For the Gods....

... and let's make some small talk! If you haven't been here before, let me introduce myself: I'm Bonggamom, a Filipino transplant living in Palo Alto, CA with my English husband, Alfie, and my 3 kids: 7-year old Pea, and 5-year old twins Jammy and 3Po. This is my personal blog, where I brag about my kids, rant and rave, pretend to take nice photos, salivate over food, occasionally reveal deep dark secrets and laugh at the craziness of life. I started blogging in April 2006 and grew to enjoy blogging so much that I now blog for 5 sites in total! There's this site, my review and giveaway site Bonggamom Finds, and 3 other sites: Silicon Valley Moms, Filipina Moms, and Being Savvy Silicon Valley.

So why am I joining the Ultimate Blog Party, and why should you? Here are three great reasons:

1) Last year there were over 1,500 blogs linked up to the Ultimate Blog Party, so it's a great way to discover some great blogs. That's what the party is all about! Make it a goal to visit 1, 2, 3 new blogs every day this week, read some of their posts and leave a comment to let them know you've dropped by.

2) With so many blogs listed, it's also a great way to get your own blog noticed. I got lots of new visitors to my little corner of the blogosphere when I joined last year's Ultimate Blog Party . Of course the giveaway I hosted may have had something to do with it. Don't worry, I've got something to give away this year as well -- Catfeats, a fun family game that you can play with your cat! I'm hosting my Ultimate Blog Party giveaway over at Bonggamom Finds, just comment to enter!

3) Did I mention prizes? Yes, there are more prizes to be won -- and all you have to do to enter is post about the party and the prizes you want to win on your own blog. I listed down the prizes I really want to win over on Bonggamom Finds; with over 275 prizes, you'll have no problem making a long list of your own. Many of the participating blogs are also hosting giveaways on their own sites, Yours Truly included! Just click here to go to Bonggamom Finds and enter to win Catfeats, a fun family game you play with your cat!.

So there you have it. Have a Happy Monday, all. Now go put on your own sexy stilettos and join the party -- start with my giveaway party post over at Bonggamom Finds. And don't forget to leave a link to your own Monday Morning or Ultimate Blog Party post so I can visit!

Exposing the Lepre-CON

Jammy's leprechaun trap

Overheard last week, while the kids were sorting through their St. Patrick's Day trinkets:

Pea: These coins aren't real gold. They didn't come from leprechauns.
Jammy: Yes they are! We made leprechaun traps at school and we found these coins in the sandbox, so that means the leprechauns left them.
Pea: No they didn't, these coins are fake. They're made of plastic!
Jammy: So what?
Pea: So, it says right here on the coin, "Made in China"! So there, see?
Jammy (hotly): So what? Maybe the leprechauns come from China!

Photo Hunt: Yellow

For this week's Photo Hunt, I decided to keep it simple and feature random yellow things in some recent photos we've taken of the kids.

This is one of 3Po's favorite shirts, a sunny yellow SunLife shirt by Lands End. I love that it has 50+ UPF factor built right into the shirt. It also looks so cheerful next to the yellow tulips and the yellow M&M's on his caramel apple. There was literally a whole bagful of M&M's stuck on that apple, but fortunately for his parents, he could only manage to eat a couple of bites.



Over the years, The Pea's hair has gradually turned a dark blonde, but ask her what color her hair is, and she'll always say, "Yellow".



And here's Jammy, carving up the mountain on his bright yellow snowboard. I have no idea if what he's doing is correct, but he didn't fall, and he looked really cool.



For more yellow things, click here.

In which I freak out about Natasha Richardson's death and kill my kids' ski dreams

Look ma, no helmet!

Everyone's talking about Natasha Richardson's death. What a tragic accident! When you think of skiing accidents, you think of black diamond skiers who run into trees, or fall off cliffs. Who would have thought that a beginner taking a lesson on a beginner's slope could fall hard enough to sustain a fatal injury? Wham! You fall, and Wham! You're dead. Poor Liam Neeson. I feel so awful for him and all her family.

Freaky, that's what it is. And for someone like me, it's especially freaky. And by someone like me, I mean someone who's always wanted to take up skiing but has always been a bit nervous, and someone whose kids enjoyed it on their first try and really really want to do more of it.

Read more of my fears about taking up snow sports here, on my Silicon Valley Moms Blog post -- and please, share your advice!!

Dora, don't grow up!

By now, most parents know that Dora the Explorer is getting a makeover . I just got a sneak peek of Dora's new look from MomLogic. Apparently Dora is moving to a different jungle -- the urban jungle -- and attends middle school with some fancy new friends and fancy new outfits. Check out her transformation....

From this.....

..... to this!

Yep, she definitely wouldn't be able to swing from vines in that outfit. And no way she's going to play with Boots the monkey now, he might splatter mud or bananas all over that pretty pink tunic.

So, what do you think about all the uproar? After all, Dora isn't the first character to undergo a makeover. Look at Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck: they look radically different now from when they were first created by Walt Disney in the 1950's. Even boys' cartoons like The Transformers have undergone, uh, transformations. But for some reason, marketers seem to think that girls need to grow up sooner and sooner. Check out these girls' cartoon characters:

Here's the 1980's cartoon icon, Strawberry Shortcake, looking all cute and vintage-y, just like I remember her from when I was growing up...

She was given a makeover several years ago to give her a more modern look, but she still looks like a spunky little girl.

And here's her latest look, circa 2008. Now she spends more time with her cellphone than her pet cat, Custard.


How about this one from the 70's.... Holly Hobbie? This must have come out in the Philippines at the height of the "Little House on the Prairie" TV series, and I remember how everyone just had to have Holly Hobbie pencil cases and stationery!

Here's the Holly Hobbie of the 21st century... no longer a little prairie girl.

Last one...check out the new Care Bears!

What's up with that? Interesting how all these characters now have sultry, long hair, sexy clothes and a hint of lipstick. Oh, and it looks like they've lost all their baby fat, too.


Personally, I think tweenie Dora looks a lot better than preschool Dora -- I always thought Dora's head and hair looked weird -- but I'm not a 3-year old. Why not let little kids look like litte kids? Hey, not every character has to look like Barbie! I understand that they're trying to grow Dora along with their audience, but there will always be preschoolers to take the place of the ones who turn 5 and 6 and 7. Can you imagine the 7, 8 or 9-year olds abandoning High School Musical and Hannah Montana to go back to Dora, just because she has earrings and a hip outfit? Nuh-uh. Are they going to keep preschool Dora and tweenie Dora? Confuuusing!