Lent

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. It signifies the start of the Lenten season which culminates with the celebration of Easter.  This year Easter falls on April 20, 2014.

But I am getting way ahead.  

Aside from strictly observing the no meat on Fridays rule, I have not come up with a valid 'sacrifice' to offer for the 40 days of Lent.

This brings me to an observation. For me, growing up in the Catholic faith and having been educated in Catholic schools run by nuns, the meat-less Fridays of Lent was strictly enforced by my parents.

So I didn't know any better and up to this day, I still follow this 'rule'.  I always thought it was a tradition that was observed by all Catholics, worldwide.  It wasn't until I came back home for good in 2001 to our mostly Catholic nation, that I noticed some parishioners don't adhere to this tradition.

In my younger days, I used to be quite upset about seeing people eat meat on Lent Fridays.  At first I thought perhaps they were of a different faith. Until I saw the person who was seated beside me in Church having lunch at a KFC outlet. Heh!

Now I am more tolerant as I accept the fact that they may eat meat on Fridays but it still doesn't make them any less Catholic than me.  They were perhaps reared differently from my upbringing.

Luckily, I married someone who also adheres to this no meat on Lenten Fridays rule. In fact, I remember it was one of the very first questions I interrogated him on when we first started dating almost 7 years ago.  It turns out my fears where unjustified as he is much more 'holier' than I imagined so we are a good match! =)

Coffee, please!

It was quite chilly when we were in HK so after we strolled our feet off, we would find a decent coffee shop to warm ourselves up.  Well to rest our tired feet as well.

But the problem is everyone had exactly the same idea so seats were limited or not available. Most of the cafes were full and since there were 5 of us, it was always so difficult to find vacant seats. 

So what we did was to go for coffee at a later hour say around past 5 or even past 5:30 pm. Usual orders are cups of coffee along with some slices of cake.  I also got addicted to macarons, the French variety. So colorful and quite flavorful in just one bite.

I overdosed on coffee and sweets because days after I returned from our trip, I had trouble sleeping and I need to get my blood sugar checked as I'm sure it is way too high now.

 

 

 

D is in the house!

Ok alright, I didn't mean to abandon this blog.

You see my sister made a last minute decision to spend the Chinese New Year holidays here with us.

So for over a week, we had great bonding moments filled with laughter shared over great food.

It was also my parents' 46th wedding anniversary so we had double reason to celebrate.

Just be merry and have fun together as a family.

 

 

 

Yes, my parents have been married for 46 years now.

 

This means I am turning forty six in October.

 

But this isn't about me.

 

It is about a couple who are still quite content with each other.

 

There have been ups and (very few) downs.

 

Every time I ask them what is their secret.

 

The key words that keeps coming up are tolerance and acceptance.

So that's something to keep in mind, this coming V day.

I should be more tolerant whenever I tend to focus on the flaws of my hubby.

I should accept him for what he is and who he is, as a person and as my partner for life.

Amen!

Macau after Dark

It was our last night in Macau so we decided to explore the massive Venetian Macao complex.  After we 'deposited' the parents at the Casino, we went off for our photo shoot.

 

It was time to go outdoors, braving the chilly air to explore the Winter Wonderland of The Venetian Macao.

 

 

 

Christmas Dinner: Restaurante Platao, Macau

After the 6pm mass at the Cathedral de Se, we proceeded to Senado Square in San Malo which is the main plaza in Macau.  We opted for authentic Portuguese food to sample dishes from the land of the colonizers of Macau before it was handed back to China. There was a long queue but it was nice and cold so we didn't mind waiting.  RESTAURANTE PLATAO is as Portuguese as you can get.  Bacalhau (Cod Fish) is the main ingredient in its menu.  I'd have to say it is similar to Spanish cuisine as most dishes are heavy on the sauce.  But there is a peculiar taste I can't quite describe.  So it might not please every palate.

Grilled Sardines

Grilled Portuguese Sausage

Dinner rolls and butter

Stewed Bacalhau Tongue

Fried Rice Portuguese Style

Baked Bacalhau with Mixed Seafood

 Poached Vegetables

Most of the service crew are Filipinos.  One of them kindly suggested we try their Biscuit Mousse for dessert which is like an ice cream cake with sans rival flavor.  It was yummy.

 

He was also generous enough to take our group picture.

One ... Two ... Smile!

Sights & Scenes of Macau (Dec. 24 - 26, 2013)

After that full meal, it was time to enjoy the sites of Macau. We had some time before we were to attend the 6pm Mass at the Cathedral.