Filipino Style Spaghetti

Filipino Style Spaghetti

It is the Filipino version of the ever-popular Italian pasta. My version requires use of brown sugar, sweet Italian sausage and banana catsup.
I know it is weird to have some of these ingredients, but it brings up a completely new flavor that is totally Filipino.
I made this for our Sunday lunch upon my daughter’s request.

Try this recipe. So easy and affordable! All ingredients are from ALDI except the banana catsup- you can buy it in any Filipino or Asian store.

Ingredients:
•    1 lb. spaghetti
•    1 small bottle banana ketchup
•    1 small can tomato paste
•    6 small cans tomato sauce
•    ¼ cup brown sugar
•    1 lb ground beef
•    1 small onion, cubed
•    Minced garlic
•    1 package sweet Italian sausage
•    Salt & pepper to taste
•    Shredded cheddar cheese
•    Cooking oil

Cooking Procedure
1.    In a large pot with water, bring to a boil.
2.    Add the spaghetti noodles and cook until tender (see package for cooking time) then set aside.
3.    Heat oil and brown the sweet Italian sausage on both sides. Set aside.
4.    Using the same oil, sauté the garlic and onions.
5.    Add-in the ground beef, season with salt and pepper and cook until done.
6.    Add-in the tomato sauce, banana catsup, tomato paste, and brown sugar then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
7.    Place the sauce on top of the cooked noodles and add some cheese.
8.    Serve hot & enjoy!

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Ruth D. Ezra is a culinary queen in her own right through experience and training. She is a bookkeeper by profession at AllState Roadside Services in Northbrook, IL.  Her greatest delight is serving good and healthy food to her husband Heman and only daughter, Isabelle. Kit would love to receive feedback on her recipes, and exchange them with yours at ezraruth@comcast.net.

Dolphy and Belly Laughter

By Marivir R. Montebon

The past week was a bit sentimental with the passing on of highly respected Philippine comedian Dolphy. The New York Times featured him in a fitting article of someone well-loved in Philippine entertainment. Dolphy's humor and musicality was every inch representative of the Filipino spirit of laughter and natural comic.

He was so much a part of the Filipino household, through the boob tube in two of the longest running TV sitcoms John En Marsha and Home Along the Riles. I am a big fan of Dolphy, having followed through John En Marsha as a child. It was my early exposure of what was the Philippine funny, and remarkably in a family setting.

In that show, written and directed by equally brilliant funny director, the late Ading Fernando, humor takes centerstage in the Filipino family's life, in the midst of odds (son-in-law and mother-in-law contemptuous relationship) and poverty. It mirrored Philippine society, how most Filipinos take things as a breeze despite material deprivation. It is a God-given trait to laugh at our own adversities.

Years later, I saw Dolphy again in another sitcom, Home Along the Riles, which like John En Marsha, poked humor at the lives of people living along the train tracks (riles) in the slums of Manila.

When I did my research for a story on the urban poor in Manila, along the riles, I remembered Dolphy's Home Along the Riles, and thought, how amazing for Philippine actors to dash humor in describing difficult lives.  It inspired me to pepper my story with humor, because indeed, the shanty I slept in shook each time the train passed by. How could the people ever sleep in this part of the city, I wondered.

Dolphy will be terribly missed. He leaves behind a shining career of more than 60 years of putting laughter in Philippine households.  That is hard to beat.

In our 12th week, OSM! features young leaders of the Eastern Seaboard of the US, upon the initiative of the Migrant Heritage Commission. They will attend the World Youth Conference at the United Nations in New York in August, including OSM!'s digital and content editor Leani Auxilio. Congratulations and way to go, young Filipinos!

We also feature Pinoy Spaghetti, a unique adaptation of the original Italian cuisine. Take it from Ruth Ezra in her Kit's Kitchen.

Finally, here's a note on laughter.  Various medical studies show that laughter adds to the number of hours in our lives.  So take time to laugh, belly laugh, laugh till you cry. For a Filipino, that is easy to do. Like praying, laughing comes to us quite naturally. I love it.

The Poetic Justice of Simeon Dumdum Jr.

By Marivir R. Montebon

A colleague at the Cebu media once confided to me, 'We all love Simeon Dumdum. We scamper to edit his copy, because we don't just edit it, we just enjoy it.'

Before the readers, the editors are the first to love Simeon Dumdum, Jr. because they glide on his flawless composition of an article. Once endeared by the media, any writer is easily accepted by the reading public. And such of course, is Simeon Dumdum, a celebrated poet and respected judge in Cebu City where he served as Regional Trial Court Executive Judge.

He was born in the northern town of Balamban, Cebu on March 7, 1948, where he grew up and had his schooling in Catholic schools. He attended St. Francis Academy in high school and at St. Clement's College in Iloilo City, where he did a year of college. In Ireland, he went to University College in Galway.

For some twist of fate, Dumdum may have been a priest, but left the seminary to take up law and later became a respected lawyer and judge.

While practicing the legal craft, Dumdum has published five books - The Gift of Sleep (poems), Third World Opera (poems), Love in the Time of the Camera (essays), Selected Poems and New (poems), and My Pledge of Love Cannot be Broken (essays).

He won the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for English poetry five times,and the Manila Critics Circle's National  Book Award three times.  In 2005, he received a medallion for writing the best decision in a criminal case, second level courts, in the Judicial Excellence Awards sponsored by the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

OSM! had the opportunity to interview him.

1. What is the greatest inspiration for you when you write your poems?

I wait for the moment when I 'see"--when I find new relationships, arrangements, meanings in the familiar world. It is not so much inspiration as discovery that prompts me to write a poem.

2. As a professional writer, does inspiration matter more than deadline? or is deadline an inspiration itself?

As regards the writing of poems, I set my own deadlines, but they are not strictly deadlines, more of an intention or mood induced purely for the purpose of opening the tap of creative juices within my subconscious.

3. And how is it that you became a Judge, it is a totally different world from literature and poetry?

I was a poet before I became a judge, and even now I still write poems. The law and literature are just aspects of the same life
and do not cancel each other out. In fact, they somehow reinforce each other.

4. Which self-expression are you happiest? As a Judge or Poet?

Being a judge has its own fulfillment. If I may use an analogy from the Gospels, as judge I am like Martha, as poet, like Mary.

5. How does one become a celebrated writer? It is not something to bring in so much food on the table, right? But what is it for,
its purpose, meaning?

One becomes a true human being first before one, if one has the inclination, becomes a writer. Whether one becomes a celebrated writer or not is for the future to decide. Art makes one rich, not materially but spiritually.

6. Advice to young aspiring poets and writers...how to better their craft.

To improve in one's craft, one must exercise it regularly. At the same time, one must read about it, and learn from others. It's the same in any other craft. Exercise and learn.

[caption id="attachment_1053" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Myalphay.com/Marivir
For the benefit of 5th Avenue Lions Club[/caption]

Walk the Talk

WALK THE TALK
By Marivir R. Montebon

In one of the thousand international meetings at the United Nations New York Headquarters recently, I had the time to cover the 5th Forum on the Eradication of Poverty which is the side event of the Annual Ministerial Review of the UN's Economic and Social Council.

Meetings like these always meant having a whole bunch of statistical information on the subject matter, as to how much has global poverty risen, how much has it been reduced locally, youth participation in local governance and businesses, etcetera, etcetera. The statistics are simply overwhelming.

The challenge with technocrats at the UN is how to put a human face on the kind of work they are putting together. At the forum, it was pleasant to know that they noted of my suggestion, to qualify how a woman micro-entrepreneur has effectively lifted herself from poverty in a given period of time. We need case studies, we need stories.

Silently but surely, I am privy to the fact that there are thousands, if not millions of well-meaning groups and individuals who are working together to make the world a little better. Their stories, not statistics will normally land in the papers and the digital highway, and will be most inspiring.

For that, I will have to mention again OSM! maiden issue cover Merly Barrette Barlaan who is well on her way on the dream highway of eradicating poverty right in her own hometown in Montesunting, Bohol. A thousand and one Moringa trees must have been grown by now, greening the landscape and adding money into the pockets of mothers and fathers. Most of all, ensuring good health from their own backyards. I will never grow tired of telling this again and again, like a progress report to readers who want to believe that good things are being undertaken at the local level.

More power to you, Merl and your team!

OSM! features today California-based sales engineer and awesome citizen Gisela Doherty Bitz who takes life as a breeze, regardless of the storms it ocassionally unleashes. I am hats off for Gisela's magic, a wonderful mix of the Eastern and Western cultures of her parents, being American and Filipino.

Enjoy our 11th issue today, dear awesome readers. OSM! is three months old, but has a readership of 10,000 all over the world! I am jubilant and grateful!

Mango Strawberry Gelatin

MANGO - STRAWBERRY GELATIN

Ingredients:

1 Oikos Greek Yogurt-Strawberry flavor

1 cup Silk Pure Almond-Vanilla

2 packets unflavored gelatin

2 Manila mangoes shredded

1 can condensed milk

Procedure:

• Peel the mangoes and shred.
• Add the condensed milk and yogurt. Blend 'till smooth.
• Microwave the Silk Pure Almond-Vanilla until hot.
• In addition, sprinkle the gelatin over the hot Silk Pure Almond-Vanilla until completely dissolved.
• Mix the gelatin mixture with the mango mixture and stir.
• Pour into a molder or any baking dish.
• Refrigerate until set.

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Ruth D. Ezra is a culinary queen in her own right through experience and training. She is a bookkeeper by profession at AllState Roadside Services in Northbrook, IL.  Her greatest delight is serving good and healthy food to her husband Heman and only daughter, Isabelle. Kit would love to receive feedback on her recipes, and exchange them with yours at ezraruth@comcast.net.

OSM's Leani Auxilio, 22 others join World Youth Conference at the United Nations

OSM! Content and Digital Editor Leani Auxilio is excitedly packing her stuff to attend a three-day world youth conference at the United Nations New York Headquarters on August 1-3, 2012.

Along with 22 other delegates of the Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC), she will represent the immigrant youth in the US in discussing global and local issues that affect the young people, in the economic, political, and cultural spheres of life.

"I hope to be able to link with youth leaders during the conference and hopefully that would be the start where we could work together on meaningful projects," Auxilio said.

The MHC youth delegation is part of MHC's cultural diversity program which aims to protect and secure the cultural identity of immigrants. This is the second year for MHC to send in delegates to the UN.

This year's delegates (16-24 yrs old)  who have been selected based on active community service/leadership and/or excellent academic standing, will join about 600 youth participants from all over the world. They are Nicole Calaro, Edalaine Tangkeko, Stephanie Lyn Marquez, Jessica Campanilla, Lexi J.A. Crisostomo, Iana Kozelsky, Jolene Mafnas, Gissele Pinero, Irene Barnachea, Therese Maria Igharas, Jennefer Ipanag, Camille David, Leani Auxilio, Ayah Manalastas, Andrew Jimenez,  Jose Pestaner, Kara Abella, Krishna Mata, Rynchelle Campanilla and Kathleen Calaro.  This year's batch will be joined by five of last year's batch of delegates as the group's leaders: Raymund Valera Jaramillo, Alex Valera, Chessa Taboada, Lizane Joyce Mata  and Heather Horner.

The MHC is a not for profit organization serving immigrants in the US through its legal, education, cultural diversity and development, medical and health programs. It was founded in 2005 by the Valeras, Jesse Gatchalian, and a few community leaders in Virginia and Maryland who currently serve as MHC's Board of Directors.

According to Arnedo Valera, MHC co-executive director who is also the UN representative for immigration, global peace and security of the Foundation for the Support of the United Nations, "the delegates will help bridge the gap of cultural understanding and promote world peace through justice as MHC youth envoys."

"They are future leaders of our communities and we should continuously guide, support and inspire them," says Grace Valera Jaramillo, MHC
co-executive director.  Jesse Gatchalian for his part said MHC's cultural diversity program is especially designed to hone the leadership skills and attitude of the youth.

Delegate Ayah Manalastas said that the conference will make people realize that the younger generation "actually has something to say and that we care. I want to make a difference, and I think the conference will be the right time to prove ourselves."

All of the youth delegates are smart, active and multi-talented volunteers of the MHC, Fil-Am Heritage Ensemble and other service-oriented organizations. Thirteen of them  are  current and past beauty titlists of ISA's Miss Teen Philippines-AMERICA, MHC's Miss Philippines Heritage, Miss Sunflower-USA, Miss Teenage Phils-USA and  Mutya ng Amerika.

Crab-Cakes

1 small can crab meat
1 small can tuna in water
1 small onion, peeled & diced
½ of green pepper, cubed
1 egg beaten
Pinch of white pepper
¼ self-rising flour
Olive oil for frying

Direction:
Drain crabmeat and tuna. Pour over into a bowl.
Mix chopped onion, green pepper, eggs and pepper.
Add self-rising flour and combine well until there are no lumps of flour.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat and drizzle 1 Teaspoon of olive oil.
Place 1/4 C of the crab-tuna batter on the pan.
Press and shape it into a flat with a fork.
When the edges become golden brown, flip to the other side.
When both sides become golden brown, the cake is done.
Repeat with the rest of the mix.
I made some dipping sauce, a mixture of light soy sauce and freshly squeezed lime.

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Ruth D. Ezra is a culinary queen in her own right through experience and training. She is a bookkeeper by profession at AllState Roadside Services in Northbrook, IL.  Her greatest delight is serving good and healthy food to her husband Heman and only daughter, Isabelle. Kit would love to receive feedback on her recipes, and exchange them with yours at ezraruth@comcast.net.

Too Awesome, Two Awesome!

By Marivir R. Montebon

Leadership goes beyond the conventional definition of planning, organizing, mobilizing, and evaluating. More often than not, the basic elements of visioning and controlling the self are left out.

A Leadership Seminar which I attended a few years back emphasized on visioning and the ability to control and understand one's emotions. That seminar had unleashed the most precious and useful value of leadership.

A leader subordinates his/her feelings of anger, vindictiveness, and selfishness in order to maintain harmony of his/her group.  She must look beyond herself in order to control her own emotions and lead the group towards its goals.  I thought that was the key to effective leadership, whether it was the family, community, professional organization, and country.

Being a visionary is an element of effective leadership. One must have a clear vision of what he or she wants to happen in the future, in defined or quantified period of time.  Without a visionary leader, the organization will be distracted from pursuing the real purpose of the organization and will eventually disintegrate beginning with the petty, selfish matters.

My one wish is that politicians who profess to be representatives of the people would walk the talk, go beyond politicking and rhetorics and do the big responsibility of public duty and progress, above all their ego trips.

OSM! focuses on two awesome women in their own fields on its tenth week.

Sharon Weinstein - nurse, big-time entrepreneur, book writer based in Chicago is simply too good to be true. But when you listen to her speak, she is every inch an inspiration. She is a wealthy person of people skills and guts and enterprising prowess.  For Sharon, one never ceases to learn, hence life is always exciting.

Meki Saldana - fashion model is one proud Filipina who believes that her friendliness and dedication have earned her success in the fashion runway in New York. Meki continues to surprise everyone, and even herself.  She looks forward to entering the portals of university again to study business as a long-term investment to a stable future, both an awesome and wise decision.

Many thanks to the overwhelming response of the feature article on Esther Salomon-Michiwake last week! It boosts our spirit to continue promoting awesomeness in these trying times of the world!

Pleasant Surprise: The ULTIMATE DOO WOP SHOW at the Beacon Theatre

By Marivir R. Montebon



The Beacon Theatre in Manhattan's Upper West Side was packed with the fifth year of an annual tradition of doo wop music. The Ultimate Doo Wop Show last June 23 featured 11 original artists which made a combined sale of over 200 million records.

The stellar lineup of Doo-Wop greats featured: From the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, Charlie Thomas’ Drifters (On Broadway, There Goes My Baby, Up on the Roof, This Magic Moment, Dance with Me, Save the Last Dance for Me), Jimmy Beaumont & The Skyliners (Since I Don’t Have Your, Pennies from Heaven, This I Swear), Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs (Stay, I Remember, Come Along), The Marcels (Blue Moon, Heartaches, Summertime), Barbara Lewis (Hello Stranger, Be My Baby, Make Me Your Baby), The Mystics featuring originals, George Galfo & Phil Cracolici (Hush-A-Bye), Barbara Harris & The Toys (Lover’s Concerto, Attack), The Fireflies (You Were Mine, I Can’t Say Goodbye), Acappella by Voice Activated, and cool, Carl V. & The Blue Suede Orchestra (Buzz, Buzz, Buzz).

The Toys and the Drifters were instantly the crowd's favorite. As original singer Barbara Harris belted 'Don't Cry Out Loud', sending the audience singing as well. The Drifters were the last to perform, bringing the house down with such incredibly great songs as Broadway, There Goes My Baby, UP on the Roof, This Magic Moment, and Save the Last Dance for Me.

The Drifters is a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as backing group for Clyde McPhatter (of Billy Ward & the Dominoes) in 1953.



The Toys were an American pop girl group from Jamaica, New York, which was formed in 1961 and disbanded in 1968. The trio consisted of Barbara Harris (August 18, 1945, Elizabeth City, North Carolina) who sang lead most of the time, Barbara Parritt (born October 1, 1944, Wilmington, North Carolina) and June Montiero (born July 1, 1946, Queens, New York).

East Meets West: GISELA DOHERTY BITZ

Life is Awesome

By Marivir R. Montebon

Some things never change. Gisela Doherty Bitz, fondly the Brooke Shields of her high school batch at the Colegio dela Inmaculada Concepcion in Cebu, Philippines was lovely, friendly and accessible. Today she still is, as a sales engineer in East Bay California, running off in flip flops with friends if the need be, just for the sake of laughter and being together.

OSM! seized that accessibility and now she shares how her life has been, little high, little low, nonetheless meaningful. "If women can learn from my words, that will be very fulfilling."

1. When did you relocate to the US and what pushed that decision? How old were you then?

I’ve always been a very independent person. When I was a kid during summer time, I ran off in my flip flops with friends just wandering around, exploring and having such a grand ol’ time, all the time.

So, when I was 19, I decided it would be a good idea to finish my studies in the States, I was going to Cebu Doctor’s University then. My sisters were already here living on their own with their respective husbands. All by myself, I went to Manila and filed for my visa, My Dad and Grandpa were Americans, we automatically get a green card. Bravely and very much alone, I flew to California, joined my sisters and started my new life.

2. Did you study here or work here as a young adult? Tell me how this happened.

The boyfriend I left behind did everything in his power to get a Visa and came after me! He came after a few months and I decided this was devotion enough, so I married him. A month before my 20th birthday, we got married and then a few months later, had our first baby! I was in love with my new husband and more in love still with my new baby boy Adrian! But times were hard for a couple of young immigrants. We lived with my sisters for a couple of years and bought our first home together. My second son Alfie was born the next year. It was hard juggling work, school and kids! I had to work full time justl to help make ends meet and achieve our dream of owning our own house. When Alfie turned 5, we bought our very own house! It was a dream house!!! We worked hard to achieve our own American dream! We reached our goals, to be together, have a family and amazing home and a place on earth we can call our very own.

3. Based on your experience, would you ever promote marrying early, that it is beneficial to both individuals?

Getting married at our age might not be the wisest decision, but we were both so much in love and it was the only thing to do. To be together was the most important thing for us. And our children were just a great bonus! I have NO REGRETS, except for the fact that I should have known then what I know now. And I’m sure he feels the same way. The maturity level was not there at 19 and 23 years of age. I believe, in any marriage, one must reach a maturity level to be able to live harmoniously with each other. After 15 years of marriage, we had so many differences and reached a point where we had to divorce.

4. On being a young mother, how was it? As a parent, we have conscious effort at how we want our kids to grow, in your case, how did you consciously raise your boys to become?

My boys turned out just fine, they are both professionals now. My only regret about raising them was not being able to have more time with them because I was at work. I wish that I could’ve been a stay-at-home mom and be there for them 24/7.

I would like to think that we had great memories as a family. We made sure we took lots of vacation to Hawaii, Philippines, to Disney World in Florida, a Caribbean Cruise. We even bought a boat and jet skis so during the weekends, we can spend family time together and ride our boat and skis at the lake. It was a fabulous time of our lives! What went wrong? Personality conflicts between me and him. I was headstrong and so was he; we were like two rams butting heads all the time because we disagreed so much. Again, I attest that to lack of maturity.

5. Was there difficulty in raising them in a mix of Filipino and American cultures? How did you resolve that? Please cite instances.

American versus Filipino was not an issue for me because having an American grand-father and father, I was raised like an American. Although I was Filipino in so many ways, I wasn’t 100% Filipino by any standards. I've always loved the American culture and learned so much about it, through books and media.

6. Many years later, you became a mom again, would you say you are an expert at raising boys at this time? Has your parenting style changed or improved?

So, my life went on. I met my soulmate and partner Larry Bitz, who accepted me for the whole that I am, he said I’m perfect in my imperfections! I thought that was devotion enough so at the age of 37 years old, I married him! Funny how our priorities change as we grow older. We had a baby after a couple of years of marriage and our perfect baby boy Zachary brought so much joy. I haven’t done anything different to parent Zachary. The plus side is now I have Larry to help me with so much when it came to raising him. He is such a hands on Dad! I consider myself a great parent, and my children can tell you the same. I so love my boys with all my heart and I know that they love me back as much! I might not have been perfect but I am an awesome mom!

The only downside is, I have to be a working mom. This was taking a lot of time away from them. But I had to be a working mom to help financially and maintain a lifestyle.

7. On profession, why choose this job? Who honed you, inspired you?

I love my job as a sales engineer at Puretec Industrial Water. It is a family owned corporation making it a very personalized and intimate work setting. As a Sales Engineer, my profession requires a great deal of technical knowledge, a good understanding of water chemistry, an outgoing, gregarious personality with great communication and prospecting skills. I love interacting with people and winning that account gives me a great adrenaline rush I just want to win some more! I’m having so much fun! I plan to stay with this company for a long time. I feel blessed to have this opportunity and I’m giving it my 100%! The accounts that I take away from our competitors are the best wins since our competitors are two of the largest water companies in the US, Siemens Water and GE Water.

The sales people I compete with are seasoned sales people who have been in their profession for 40+ years. Me, being a rookie and winning those accounts against them is a great feeling, indeed!

8. Did you ever have to deal with racial discrimination at work? How did you deal with that?

Racial discrimination is a product of ignorance. I have not encountered a lot of racial discrimination but the few that I’ve seen are from people who are so much less educated and so much less traveled with not a lot of culture and breeding. I consider that just another nuisance and ignore it not losing any of my confidence as a talented and outspoken professional.

I’m very lucky that my parents are able to afford the best schools for me and my siblings. My education at Colegio de a Immaculada Conception helped me tremendously to mold me into the woman that I am now. I’m bilingual, speaking fluent Filipino and I speak English very well. That alone gave me an edge ahead of so many other immigrants. The impeccable curriculum at CIC and the colleges I attended, STC and CDU, gave me a tremendous edge not only with immigrants but also other peers who were born and raised in the US. I can say that with great confidence.

9. What makes you happy the most?

What makes me happy the most is my family, my husband, my children and the fact that I’m one of the luckiest people on earth to live in such a wonderful country with great opportunities and luxuries! One just needs to work hard for what they want to achieve. Be it a career, a wonderful home or a great lifestyle. The sky is the limit! It’s an amazing life! I have wonderful friends, great co-workers and wonderful children. I have to also mention, my witty, intelligent and beautiful step-daughters Melissa and Brianna who had helped make my life full, who are achievers and upstanding citizens as well a true testament to my husband Larry’s great parenting!

10. Any plans for career move or major project at hand?

Next stop: RETIREMENT! Aren’t we that age where we have to plan for it now?

11. Would u have changed anything that happened in your life? why?

I wish I would’ve have taken some financial classes to learn how to handle money more efficiently! I guess it’s not too late, I can still do that, life after all is full of opportunities and I’m one not to  take advantage. Things happen for a reason, I have no regrets and I wouldn’t change anything in my life. I feel fulfilled and I can only achieve for more.

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