Tuesday, October 30, 2018

KST Batch 25

"Charity is not a virtue.  It is an obligation."

Every year I try to remember one thing I learned from KST.  


During the graduation ceremony I was listening to the priest's homily.  

Haha! Why is this important? Because I rarely listen to the priests.  

My mind wanders all the time, thinking of what to eat or where is my next travel destination.  

But for some reason, I was able to connect with the priest.  Not only did I listen to his homily but I could almost remember it verbatim.

He said that charity is not a virtue but an obligation.  It does not mean that it is the end all and be all, though.  We are all entitled to our beliefs and opinions.

I remember the parable of the talents.  The master gave the servants coins and how happy he was when they invested it except for one who buried the coins.

We are all given talents and it is up to us to use it and help others.  "To whom much is given, much is expected."

It is already my 8th year in KST.  

Some people ask me after all these years if I still have the same zeal and enthusiasm as I did when I first started.  The answer is yes.  We have different participants every year.  New faces, new experiences and new lessons to be learned from each other.


My parther is Anna.  



We have 6 women under us and the name of our group is Masigla.

Thelma, Clariz,Gena,Nerissa, Maritess and Erika.
The first session started on June 3 and the graduation was last October 24.  



I am quite happy because I know the ladies under our guidance improved a lot.  

One employer even wrote to us to say that her helper has changed significantly and she is so grateful for the program that Bel Air has for its kasambahay.

I know the back stories of some.  A bit sad because they have to leave their small children in the provinces so that they can give them a better future.  Their dream is for their children to be able to finish their education.

During our sharing sessions they would become teary eyed while they tell us the hardships they are experiencing in their lives and the sacrifices they must endure.  It can sometimes get to you and hit you hard emotionally.  

On graduation day, it almost broke my heart to see one of our participants wearing a plain white t shirt while everybody was dressed in their Sunday's best.  But she seemed OK with it so I guess it was the best that she could do.

Over the years, I have become more emphatic to their plight.  Our head facilatator, Tita Coret, would encourage us to come to KST earlier than our 2 pm call time so that we could get the know the ladies better.

I hope that I was able to make even a tiny difference in their lives.  

Then I would feel that I have not wasted my 8 years in KST.

I know that it was all worth it.  

Would I still  join KST next year? 

Definitely, Yes!! 










Thursday, October 25, 2018

A Quick Food Journey With The Perlas In Bangkok

It was such a quick trip to Bangkok!  I was with the Perlas ladies, Vinnie and Cindy.


I was so excited because Vinnie was able to bring in 2 guests at the Mabuhay Lounge!


My first time and of course I had to try the "famous" Arroz Caldo.


I also tried the Mami soup.


And siomai.


We arrived in Bangkok very late in the evening.


It was a good thing we arranged for an airport transfer by Klook.  So reliable.  I have used Klook in most of my Asian travels.

We checked in at Arnoma Grand Hotel and got rooms right next to each other with a connecting door.

I brought  Sleeping Bear again with me to Bangkok, her 2nd time.


Why? Because she is the lightest of them all.  I kind of miss Sia, the cat.

We went to different malls, Central World which is across our hotel.  Siam Paragon,


Gaysorn

Terminal 21, MBK to buy pasalubong and finally, we went to Emquartier!





We just breezed through because we were in a hurry but at least I got a glimpse of the mall I have been wanting to check out.

We tried different restaurants in Bangkok..

Kalpapruek at Central World.  Both of them ordered Shrimp Pad Thai.


I had the Chicken Larb.  Or Pork??? I cannot tell the difference.


I forgot to say not to make it too spicy!  I had to order 2 cans of Coke Zero.

We also ate at a Vietnamese resto at MBK.  I cannot recall the name.  I had the Fried Shrimp with Tamarind sauce.


Fuji Japanese Restaurant in Terminal 21.

Tempura Udon for me.


Salmon for Vinnie.


Steak for Cindy.


Potato Salad and Sauteed Mushrooms for sharing.  I love Japanese Potato Salads!



Our last dinner in Bangkok was in Nara, Central World.


We ordered a feast!

Shrimp Cakes


Hihihihi I am so tickled pink because my shrimp cakes taste better!!!!

Pad Thai


Crispy Catfish Salad


Grilled Chicken with Papaya Somtam


Fried Seabass


Bagoong Fried Rice


Soft Shell Crab Curry


Jumbo River Prawn Tom Yum!


Whew! So much food!

I also tried the ice cream at KFC!


So good! Soft serve ice cream coated in chocolate then sprinkled with spicy potato chip crumbs!!!

Of course, I had to eat my Godiva ice cream in Siam Paragon.




Salted Egg Durian Milk Tea!!!  It was interesting!




I also tried the Shrimp casserole in Big C's food court.


I have been experimenting lately and I wanted to know if my version is the same as the Thai version.  More or less, it was the same.

Then it was time to go home!  I  had Wanton Noodle Soup and Asado siopao in the Chinese restaurant in the airport.



We all had fun in Bangkok with a plan to return again next year!  FGM Cindy had a minor medical emergency beacuse she had a bad allergic reaction to something she ate.  We had to call for a doctor but the problem was resolved immediately.

I enjoyed watching the "show" every morning because  from 10 to 11 am was hair and make up time of Vinnie.  Hahahaha Yes! It takes her more than an hour to get ready for the day.

Thank you so much Perlas ladies for our funny and enjoyable trip to Bangkok!


Until the next time!  Yes! There will be a next time.  Hahahaha I just do not know if Vinnie wants to share a room with me again.  I was a "noisy" sleeper.


P.S.

My friends know I only shop for food and ingredients when I travel to Bangkok and of course,  stuff for Snowball!!!

I had to go to Ratchada Night Market to buy her costume for Halloween!!!



We will be twinning.  I will wear the "Snowhite who ate the 7 dwarfs" t-shirt while Snowball will wear her Snowhite dress.



Cannot wait for Bel-Air's Trick or Treat on October 28!

She was not too happy with her pasalubong because I just got her a couple of packages of Dental Care and snacks.


No toy this time around.