The other night I was so excited because it was the opening of the Davao Convention Fair. My niece together with her friends rented a booth and she asked if I can display some of my "chocolates de cielo" (chocolates from heaven). I was excited of course but because the notice was so short I got only limited packs to display.
Today my niece said, there was a buyer who has a coffee shop. They also serve chocolate drinks and they were looking for a local and pure dark chocolate that they would want to try. Of course I am hoping that they will like it.
I have been really busy with the chocolates. It eats up a lot of time but I love doing it. What makes me feel good about it even if it is tedious is the way it gives me an opportunity to create something.I get to produce something and even if I have not materialized some of my marketing plans, I am keen on getting serious with this one.
If you are in Davao City, I have my "chocolates de cielo" displayed at Booth #60 at the Davao Convention Center. Each of the chocolate there is a product of careful and hygienic home-made process. Taste it!
I am thinking of buying one maybe on one special occasion. When I got enough money too. I have gone to a couple lots of weddings but rarely do I get the chance to eat the cake.
I also did not have a wedding that is so traditional so I did not go through it. Totally!
I have also emceed the program of my friends' weddings but I really do not know how it feels to be the bride with the gown, walking in the aisle, flowers all over and slicing that cake etc. etc.
Sometimes I think, it was not meant for me. Really?
Or maybe I am not for that kind of stuff. I am 45 now. And I am married.
I don't know.
I might just buy a wedding cake. And eat it with my children and friends.
The news sometimes makes me feel hungry!And makes you feel lost at which direction we are all going. And make you realize we all need some enlightenment.
I was not able to blog for such a long time and I was craving to. But I do not know why I also get some kind of "lost".
The other night I was watching the news because I wanted to see the winning of our Efren Penaflorida as the CNN Hero for this year. I really think that young man just deserves the award. It is the kind of news I want to hear because it lifts up the spirit of the Filipino people.
But gosh I was alarmed and got angry because of the news that was shown first - the gruesome massacre killing right here in Mindanao. Well I am a bit far from where it happened but those prominent families mentioned happened to have such big investments and properties in Davao City. I actually just detest the way they come to the city in those big black vehicles in convoy AND SO DISRUPTIVE and threatening. I do not mind at all if it was the President or the Pope or a funeral but ...warlords? OMG!
I hope they could just disappear. I hope parents teach their children what is really wrong with inflicting pain. Killings. Threatening. It is not just so civil in this civilized world.
Sisters are not suppose to live together Coz when they do they wreck each other' s space pull each other' s hairs and bite one another, too.
But that was so long ago...
Sisters are still not suppose to live together Coz if I dolived with her I will throw pillows at her husbandif I see him wreck my sister's heart. I will pull her husband's hairfrom the bedroom towards the garage for bastardizing my sister's space. And I will probably bite his arms until it bleeds for every blow to her being.
Boy, I am glad I was far from my sister during that period for if I was, I will be in jail now.
But that was a long time ago too...
In Toronto, my sister and I had all those things in the past went down the drain.
In Toronto, we were once again kids who made up for those times when she was always away with her friends. I thought she does not want me around. In Toronto, we were also adults who accepted each one's craziness. So very unlike when we were young, when we could have left each other' s presence.
In Toronto, we shared secrets like friends. I thought we could not be friends because she is far too perfect and I am not.
In Toronto, she made me feel special. Something I did not feel from her for such a long time because I thought she never liked me.
But now, I am whole again. It is great to have a sister. One who is happier now. One who is tougher. A sister who gave us Achie and Shoti. But still far away.
Oh, I am glad it still is my birthday in some other parts of the world.
I celebrated my birthday almost in solitude. I thought birthdays are supposed to be spent reflecting on what was done and where one is going. When I was alone, I thought of how wonderful this life is when one do not really look too far.
I thought I will be alone, but there are people who cares. Who loves.
I just cannot be alone.
I created another blog last night. It is called "I am your thought writer".
I did something today that I think I am proud of. It is unusual for me to join a beauty contest. Well, its not the regular beauty contest we see on TV but exclusive to our group at Ceragem-Davao. Today at the center, there was a crowd. It was fiesta-like and there were lots of food too. But because the contestants were in front, it was one of those days when you just wished "I shouldn't have joined this". Just kidding!
I did not finish the program though because I have to rush home but I am glad I did join it. It is something to affix to my life story.
I would probably choose a chocolate cake among this selection! I was in a cake house when I took this picture. Only because I wanted to perk up a friend's mood. He is so far away so I sent this picture.
That simple gesture was appreciated. But of course, it would have been better if it were the real ones that I have sent. That was months ago.
When I feel so mean and irritable, I know I am ovulating. Men sometimes just could not understand this. And most of the time they would think " hmmmm getting crazy" again! It just happens that women just have a different operation systems than men. And when women are in this period, gosh you will never believe the amount of food one could gorge over!
I think this is one reason why women often becomes heavy in size. What I do is make myself busier by doing just anything for me to perspire.
I love chocolates and I do drink one or 2 cups of dark chocolate drink everyday. I am sharing to you some more facts about Chocolates so you would not worry about getting fat.
"Here is some more good news -- some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol. The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid:
Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.
Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research is shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.
That means only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you."
When I decided to write a blog for my chocolate thoughts, I was keen on establishing links for my "chocolates de cielo" to anything that fancies me. I have gathered some materials of the health benefits of dark chocolates and I think it will be helpful to couple it up with some other beautiful creations I could think of.
When I started selling my chocolate molds, I was surprised that many people here in Davao still believes that it is bad for their health. Some said it will shoot up their blood pressure. Some says they cannot have it because they are diabetics. And so on and so forth.
But because of these myths people are actually closing their doors to one hell of a healthy drink. I think people have the processed chocolate products in the market in mind. But anyhow, these products still got chocolate contents which also support the fact that it is indeed a healthy food. I believe, people just have to eat in moderation to avoid the mentioned health risks.
I am in Davao. A tropical city. And not so "chocolate-drinking" city. I have noticed it in the grocery stores because of the "not so significant" number of displays. Really, quite challenging but there are still who buys it because they actually felt good and relaxed with a cup of a hot chocolate drink.
Just to share some facts about dark chocolates here are two: a) Chocolate is made from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree. These seeds, also known as cocoa beans, are exceptionally rich in flavonoids, which are natural antioxidants thought to help protect against cardiovascular disease. b) Reduced blood pressure: In a recent study involving men and women with high blood pressure, those who ate 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate every day for 15 days experienced a drop in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Results were similar in another study of people who were between the ages of 55 and 64 and had hypertension. The study participants who supplemented their diets with a daily dose of dark chocolate for 2 weeks experienced a significant reduction in blood pressure. But after only 2 days without chocolate, their blood pressure readings returned to previous levels.
And why am I sharing a picture of a gorgeous chocolate butterfly? That is for everyone to appreciate how a butterfly come into being. From a complete metamorphosis. Change and challenges in every step of the way from being an egg, larvae, pupa and into such a gorgeous being. So natural.
The same way as the chocolates are. They are processed so several times before one gets hold of that chocolates you drink. From the trees, the beans are scraped from the fruits then washed, fermented, dried, roasted, grounded, molded, packaged and etc. Such a grueling process but will surely give you that ultimate heavenly and healthy pleasure.
My net was off last night so I thought of reading a book. Yesterday was just another almost perfect day too except for one event. I went to a friend because she was devastated with a family problem. Now I can just hope that I was able to give her some comfort. Anyway, while reading last night I came across a poem and a choco picture of an owl.I thought of bringing both materials together and let me see the result:
I am just wondering why the stars are so avoiding me? Oh dear stars, please come and stay beside me. Your comforting twinkles do lighten my mind and my heart.
God knows I have been crying a lot. Is it the weather? Or is it me?
I am so wrecked, I hope this poem just might remedy it.
Step aside from all thinking, and there is nowhere you can't go. Returning to the root, you find the meaning; chasing appearances, you lose their source. At the moment of profound insight, you transcend both appearance and emptiness. Don't keep searching for the truth; just let go of your opinions.
I am from the Philippines but I haven't gone here. As a child in school, I believed that these were real chocolates and dreamed of going there someday. If in the picture I find the chocolate hills so enthralling, I might get down on my knees and kiss the ground when I get there.
If my country got this for a treasure, then I must say that we as people should be much prouder than ever. I was thinking that we could be more competitive economically if we preserve and present this treasure to the whole world.
During rainy days, the chocolate hills turn verdant green. Lovely and amazing as God's touch! I do not know how to measure monetary pleasure from something like this, but I hope all Filipinos work our way in harmony and balance to what is called economic miracle and environment-friendly matters.
Maybe with that kind of formula, we could survive our crisis.
Cheers to the Chocolate Hills! A landscape that has withstand the angst of nature since its creation but stays splendidly heavenward!
I just finished forming my chocolate molds and I got a real dose of chocolate aroma! Visiting my blog is another passion and when I was looking around for some materials about chocolates, this lone chocolate cosmos charmed me.
For some facts about this charming flower, I copied from Paghat's Garden his article about it.
Great! I can't believe I joined an event this morning. It is something that I did not have a chance to do when I was younger. Well since I have always wanted to try something different and new every now and then, then this must be something for me to do. I will tell you about this later. And I am excited about it.
Cosmos atrosanguineus, or Chocolate Cosmos, has such dark maroon flowers that they do occasionally approach the color of a Hershey's bar, though more the color of dried blood. It is occasionally called Black Cosmos, a flower suited to the Gothic Gardener.
Even more remarkable, they have a faint scent of chocolate. The chocolatiness is most evident as evening approaches, toward the end of a hot summery day.
The bulk of the foliage clump is about three feet tall, a tangle that seems to be fighting against an urge to become prostrate, leaning into the sun. The wiry stems that uphold each bloom rise from three to four feet high which is well above the foliage, with other blooms lower within the embrace of the foliage.
Even apart from the novelty of its Hershey bar perfume, the flower is one of the prettiest. It offers excellent cuttings for bouquets. It begins blooming in May, picks up speed in June, & in July the clump is chock full of bobbling blooms that easily catch a breeze. It will continue to produce blooms through mild early frosts -- for us, the flowers appear in great numbers up to October with a few remaining in November, even without much deadheading. This rivals the Gaura in persistence of gorgeous blooms. In winter the clump dies to the ground.
We took out part of the clump this year, while it was still blooming, because we needed a good gift for a friend. It didn't interfer with the flowering one bit. If there is any drawback to this variety of cosmos, it is the fact that its foliage gets messier looking as the summer progresses, but it is difficult to prune because still in continuous flower. At the moment I have a plan to build a small circular ornamental fence for it next year, perhaps a foot & a half tall, encircling the entire two-foot-wide clump. This should trellis upward the half-prostrate clump so it doesn't crowd into neighboring flowers, & ought to improve the looks of the foliage so that it does justice to the marvelous flowers. Of course, the other way to freshen up a big tangled clump is to dig it up entirely & divide it into three or four plants, which eventually will have to be done.
As a native of Mexico, Cosmos likes a lot of sun. Ours is in an all-afternoon-sunny location in moist well-draining soil next to a bushing Nishiki Willow. The chocolaty flowers are a lovely contrast to the pink summer leaves of the Nishiki. Though an established clump is supposed to be moderately drought tolerant, for the sake of the willow ours has never experienced much dryness, & has thrived in moist acidic soil. Possibly the clump would remain tidier if it did experience occasional dryness.
Some gardeners recommend the tuberous root of the cosmos be dug up in autumn & stored like a treasured dahlia, & others recommend it for container-gardening so that it will be easier to bring to shelter in winter. Perhaps such measures would be required in some zones, but I'm surprised when I hear about any of my fellow Northwest gardeners going to such effort. Ours has been left in the ground three years & each spring has come back a larger & more spectacular bloomer. So on temperate Puget Sound it seems unnecessary to store the tuber.
The tuber can be divided in spring. We've never yet dug ours up to divide, as it's my understanding it develops slowly, especially in temperate climates, nor does it seed easily, which is why it is not one of the most common garden offerings, with demand outstripping availability.
Chocolates like love can be as colorful as one wishes to. I thought love could be as steady as the brown color of the chocolate. And I am wrong. One changes. Love like chocolates should be refined as you go along. Chocolates like love if not explored gets drab at one point or another.
I do not feel good about love at this time. I think it happens with life. It happens to chocolates too.
Chocolates have always been associated with love. And full moon is also associated with love spells. Both gives pleasure to me and that is the reason why I roast my cacao beans during full moon. Does that makes sense?
Of course in this modern world who would ever believe spells? But everyone seems to be gaga over "unexplained matters" right?
I have observed my full moon often rises where the golden sun in the morning also does. I have to research about its significance because that is the case from my vantage point. Interesting really.
Roasting the cacao on a full moon gives me that exultant feeling. I feel romantic, so the beans get that energy. I feel high-spirited, so the beans get that too. I also feel lucky and so on and so forth so I guess, every positive thought and energy I have I transfer to the beans.
Isn't it enough to produce the best chocolate mold in the whole world? It has to be.
