who do you want to share a Coke with?

recently, Coke UK launched a "Share a Coke with..." campaign where they personalize bottles with our names on it...for free!

its a brilliant marketing tool of course because there's nothing as sweet as sharing a tiny bottle of Coke with only 105 calories as seeing our names on anything :)

I am not much of a soda fan but its our names that did it for me.  

so who do want to share happiness with?

i miss my family and i got them one each so i would "see" them all the time

my BFFs 

Papa Edgar

with "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" sang by Barbara Streisand in the movie "Yentl" softly playing in the background, i pay homage to my awesome dad :)

dance of reciprocity

i went to a 2-day training (for my work) last week which extensively explained how "the baby is the father of man".  the discussions involved theoretical foundations such as containment, reciprocity and behaviour management.  in my humble opinion, this simply translates to how crucial parenting skills are in how we turn out as adults.

we were given an assignment: to look for the dance of reciprocity in our everyday lives.

what is the dance of reciprocity?  

it describes the sophisticated interaction between a baby and an adult where both are involved in the initiation, regulation and termination of the interaction.  it can also be used to describe the interaction within all relationships.  it involves initiation, orientation, state of attention, acceleration, peak of excitement, deceleration and withdrawal or turning away (Brazelton, 1974).

while i was enjoying a lovely sunny spring morning sitting at the piazza last week with a friend, i saw the most incredible example of the dance of reciprocity right before my very eyes.

i spotted this little girl tirelessly chasing pigeons while her mum was busy talking to a friend. Daisy Duck meanwhile was just coming out from the side of the street.  the moment the little girl saw her, she ran squealing towards Daisy with open arms. Daisy also opened her arms immediately and they shared the warmest of hugs, the peak of their excitement.  and then they would let go and the little girl would look up to Daisy and smile and ran around her and hugged her again.  they would do this dance over and over again until the little girl was called by her mum.  and then they waved goodbye and blew kisses at each other.

this picture of utter happiness stayed with me all throughout that day and even until now.

so happy to see you!

its more fun!

hi y’all!  i will be on and off in the next few weeks because i am off today to spend a month long holiday with my family back in the Philippines.  

wweeehhhh! 

i will see you when i see you! have a wonderful christmas, stay warm and think of this:

boo!

halloween despite being the invention of the Celts, is very much the most celebrated of all holidays especially in America.  here in Gibraltar, it is not so noticeable apart from the occasional zombie or witch that we see on the weekend prior to the eve of the first of November smoking a ciggy or drinking a pint while discussing first world problems.

i try my best to be “evil” every year so this year i put up my usual decors (just varying the function and placement for variety), bought some candy and wait for the fun part (which is to hear that knock on our door by tiny cute blood-sucking creatures).

made with scrap fabric from my ribbon-making days and left-over spiders and spiderwebs, a raven cut-out and googly-eyes, all attached to an African grass trivet that i got from a shop that was closing down.

the scariest plastic bats ever i bought from a little boy for a pound (for a pack of 4) at the carboot sale last year.  i suspended them from the ceiling in the verandah with a fishing line and voila!

we eat locally so let’s see if we can scare a little wee vampire or two like we did last year :)

(monstrify yourself at www.picmonkey.com)

chestnuts roasting in a controlled environment

the days are getting cooler now.  there’s a certain crispness in the air.  people huddle more and duck inside cafes more… to talk, to read, to schedule, to plan last minute get-aways.  somehow there’s more time for everything now that Fall is rambling down the streets of Gib. 

you know what else we have time for this Fall?  chestnuts! in front of Watergardens, just across Ramson’s, is a promenade with a statue of Mr. Rooke (some guy who used to command a big boat and fought against the French and therefore captured Gibraltar in the 1700’s).  and next to it is a little blue-and-white striped hut with two guys selling the tastiest roasted chestnuts in the whole of the Mediterranean :)  (not sure about this but ill get back to you on that one) people queue up for this warm and sweet-smelling stall on their way home (just like what we did one fine October day).  this old-timer roasts them nuts in this ingenius contraption and they come out crunchy on the outside and melty and soft on the inside! really helps you to realize that christmas is just around the corner! 

a pound for a cone-full of tasty, fuzzy, glossy brown nut goodness:) we couldn’t wait to eat them at home so we sat down in one of the benches enjoying the rest of that crisp October afternoon chomping away like two squirrels :)

rock the wedding

“Do you remember the 21st night of September?
Love was changing the mind of pretenders
While chasing the clouds away
Ba de ya, say do you remember
Ba de ya, dancing in September
Ba de ya, never was a cloudy day…”
-- September by Earth, Wind and Fire

it was one beautiful September day in the Mons Calpe Suite high up the Rock that we stood as witnesses to new friends’ K and L’s wedding.  it was just so romantic!  you see, they just came to Gibraltar to get married! 

they exchanged their vows under the hot summer sun with a panoramic view of the Rock, Spain and Africa and a handful of tourists who clapped their hands after the minister said, “i now pronounce you, man and wife. you may 
kiss the bride…”

a few weeks later, we received an unexpected gift from them (yes, that’s how sweet and kind and thoughtful they are!)

inside was an authentic Oktoberfest beer mug and a jar of the most interesting bon-bons we’ve ever had.  also written on a postcard is an invitation to visit them in Hamburg!

the mister and i just love these bon-bons :)  i am quite sure there is a hint of ginger in the yellow ones and heat-packing cherries in the red ones!  VERY unexpected flavors bursting in your mouth AND very addictive too!

take your pick!

two is better than one

"life is two-riffic with twins!" -- author unknown

we went to the mister's cousin's twins' christening the other day and boy were they soooo cute! 

just look at baby M here getting ready to be splashed :)  that's her mom W holding her :) sorry for the dark pics by the way and the red eye.  i didn't have time to reset my camera.

below is the lovely family :)  the twins have an elder sister, C in her lovely pink dress and pigtails and she wants to be in on the action too :)

we had cake after!

baby S is hungry

 big sister C biting her nails

here i am carrying and cuddling baby M, after playing with my hair she promptly fell asleep :)

i just love babies!  they are sooo cuddly like marshmallows and they smell like one too :)

"it's not about the money, money, money..."

it's not over yet but i can say this September has been the busiest so far this year. almost everyday i have something to attend to or go to which eats up all of my energy and therefore, when i come home, i would slump myself on the sofa too exhausted to do anything other than flick on the remote!  on top of that, (horror of horrors!) i haven't been able to go to my favorite shop which opened the first week this month!!!!!!!!!!

we shall remedy that soon enough :D but first, as promised, here are pics i took that beautiful day when the part-therapist, part-singer Jessie J sang for the Rock :D

the Rock is a great backdrop for a concert because sound actually bounces off of it making for great acoustics!

there were stilt-walkers and street artists (which either delighted the little ones or scared them, i can't tell)

right next to the concession stands, life goes on in the runway (Gibraltar is on the top 10 of the world's most dangerous airports, being small and right in the middle of the highway!)

there were other booths next to the stadium that were such a hit with the tag-alongs like Man Vs Food, etc.

front acts were amazing local bands!  and then came Ali Campbell of the famous UB40.... ohhh the groovin' we did to "Red, Red Wine"... and little did i know this would cause major aches and pains in muscles i never knew i have!

and then, she came....  she was awesome!  a great entertainer with a heart for her fans :)  we love her songs.. especially the ones with empowering messages :)

 and here are two exhausted but very happy fans :)

once more, with feelings...

the aerialist

what is that?  yes, yes, i can see they are not from around here.  but,  where did they come from?  somewhere exotic?  where light and roomy garments and a colorful hat is as common as pavement?

and a balancing act too?  how strange.  how mind-boggling.  how i wish i could do that.

a crowd has started to form (click-click-click) fully armed with cameras and cam-corders.

i slipped away and thought to myself, "i do that all the time!"

(hot new item this week in Main Street)

remember this?

calentita, calentita, calentita

(warning: sort of a long post)

calentita is Gibraltar's national dish and also the name of its annual food festival held every beginning of the summer.  this year, i attended my first calentita and not only did i stuff myself into gastronomic proportions (get it? hehe) but also met some amazing people :) 

pretty much this is what a real calentita (see below) looks like.  its a simple "bread-like dish made of chickpea flour, water, olive oil and salt and pepper" and is heavily influenced by the many people that make up Gibraltar long ago.
it is also very similar to the Italian farinata so i am guessing that the very first people who introduced this would probably be the many Genoese who lived in Catalan Bay in the 18th century.

because this festival is gaining popularity over the years, it has now spilled out to Market Place (from Casemates Square) to accommodate other activities such as poetry reading, all kinds of dance, the fine arts, and of course the usual arts and crafts stalls

i am fascinated by this man.  he has a very distinct character!  just look at that hat.. and the brogues!  what a very good subject eh?

okay, on to the food!  the most sought-after stall with the longest queue would hands down be the Moroccan with its popular pinchitos :)  

pinchitos are skewered, barbecued beef or chicken marinated in Moroccan spices.  these are the mister's favorite and since he couldn't attend this year's festival because of work, he asked me to buy a few for him :)

inside these white-domed tents are gastronomic delights from all over the world!  calentita also celebrates food from around the globe representing everyone that has either visited or stayed in Gibraltar.  one of my favorites is the Malaysian food stall with its perfect Malaysian laksa and Kung Pao chicken and Malaysian curry!  manned by the owners of Fusion Deli, this place is not to be missed!

vegans and vegetarians need not feel out of place because there is a stall especially just for them :)  likewise for those with a sweet tooth (err.. with a little piece of pizza thrown in maybe? a confusing sign!)

 bratwursts anyone?

the German stall with its equally long queue!

another one of my favorites is the HongKong Dim sum stall!  oohhh i can still taste the sio mai, the crispy wontons, and the spring rolls!

what's a gibraltarian food festival without a celebration of its own desserts?

 and of course, spanish tapas!

and the best the UK has to offer!

funny stall name but they are actually raising funds for a charity :)  buy a ticket and you can win  a bag of sweets or something :)

aaahhh now to the best part :) i stuffed myself silly in this stall!  they all have my favorites but maybe because i was so homesick of Philippine food that i didn't notice the food was a bit "toned down".  the distinct Filipino-ness was missing (imho)...

but any which way, i bought two of everything for the morning after :) two empanadas, two ensaimadas, two vegetarian lumpias, two pancit, two cassava cakes, two fried rice, etc.

some of the lovely filipina ladies who made the food were from Spain but just look at all those people still queu-ing up!  

live, love and eat!  Wolfgang Puck couldn't have said it more succinctly :)