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My favorite food as a child was fried chicken! I think most kids love that food, it's crispy, tasty though not too healthy. As an adult, I still like it but my palate has grown to love different flavors but chicken still remains one of my favorites.
Now that I am learning to be independent, I have to prepare my own lunch. Since fried food is the easiest to prepare, one of the mainstays in my lunch menu is - guess what ... Of course, fried chicken!
I marinade the chicken (usually drumsticks) in calamansi and fish sauce. After some hours (or minutes if there's no time), it's ready to cook.
Easy at it may seem, but I failed in cooking my fried chicken perfectly.
I always use the chicken drumstick and it is so meaty. The first time I fried it, oh my, it was undercooked. I still saw pinkish parts, so I did not finish it. My mistake there was not putting enough oil and using a very flat pan, instead of a deeper wok.
The second time I cooked it, I used the correct pan and added more oil. However, I did not cook it long enough. So yes, less pinkish parts and still undercooked.
The third time, I made sure I had all the elements right - the pan, the oil, the heat, the cooking time. And finally, yes, I had the perfect fried chicken - fried to the bones :)

This simple recipe and simple act of frying taught me that little things matter. Each element - pan, oil, heat and cooking time all mattered. Like in our life, our body parts/systems matter for our overall health; our mind, body, spirit create a whole being; physical, mental, emotional/psychological aspects all need to be sound for us to live well.
Frying a chicken also taught me to be patient and thus proving the adage "Haste makes waste". Cooking is both an art and a science. I am blessed to have food to cook. Thanks be to God.

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Today is Thursday. It is actually my favorite day. Well, it shares the same spot as Sunday.
I think it started in my third year of primary school, when I sat on the fourth row, thus we were the "Thursday " group. We were assigned as cleaners on Thursday - to arrange and wipe the seats, sweep the floor.
Even though it may sound like child labor, I enjoyed those moments bonding with my groupmates while cleaning.
In my now country of residence, Thursday is shopping day! It is when the shops are open until 9PM. On other days, shops are open only until 6PM, except for groceries and KMart. I think it is good to have a designated shopping day, so it's not too tempting to buy stuff.
Thursday is also St. Jude's day. Those with devotion to St. Jude, the patron for hopeless cases, pray novena to him. St. Jude, for me, is one of the most popular patron saints, especially in Manila where people flock to St. Jude church in Mendiola.
I believe in novenas, as I prayed novenas to St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Joseph, and my prayer to have work was granted. It is one Catholic tradition that I am learning more about.
Even if I am away from my homeland, I do my best to keep Thursday a prayer day for St. Jude.
Thursday is one day away from Friday, the last day of the work week for most people. It is an anticipatory day, anticipating the last day of work after which people can relax, have fun and do what that wish because they do not need to wake up so early the following day.
It is one reason why I like Thursday too, because it represents hope.
We thank God it's Friday. But we need Thursday before getting Friday.

Happy anticipated weekend, my dear readers! I thank God for you. May you be blessed in ways more than you can imagine!