"Happy Teachers Day"

• “Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.” – Jacques Barzun
• “Good teachers are costly, but bad teachers cost more.” – Bob Talbert
• “The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence. He inspires self-distrust. He guides their eyes from himself to the spirit that quickens him. He will have no disciple.” – Amos Bronson Alcott
• “A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others.” -Anonymous
• “Teaching is leaving a vestige of one self in the development of another. And surely the student is a bank where you can deposit your most precious treasures.” – Eugene P. Bertin
• “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward
• “A teacher’s purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image.” – Anonymous
• “What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.” – Karl Menninger
• “The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth.” – Dan Rather
• “In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day’s work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.” – Jacques Barzun
• “Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions.” – Anonymous
• “The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book.” – Anonymous
• “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” – Henry Brooks Adams
• “Teachers, I believe, are the most responsible and important members of society because their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth.” – Helen Caldicott
• “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” -Japanese proverb
• “The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards.” -Anatole France
• “Those who educate children well are more to be honored than parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well.” – Aristotle
• “A gifted teacher is as rare as a gifted doctor, and makes far less money” – Anonymous

"Oprah backs Shamcey? 'Twas a hoax, Winfrey's reps say"

 –Comments attributed to Oprah Winfrey about Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup's third runner-up finish in the Miss Universe contest have been dismissed as a hoax by the US talk show host’s official site, Yahoo News Philippines reported.

Winfrey’s alleged statement, aired via NBC News, spread like wildfire cross the Internet, with many netizens posting it on social networking sites.

The purported statement said: “I have reservations with the results. If the only basis is the Q and A portion, after having been trimmed down to 5, Ms. Philippines deserved to win. What made her different from the rest is that she had no seconds to rethink of her answer as she had no interpreter to break the ice. The rest had their interpreters and having breaks on seconds to think about their answers. Hands down, Ms. Philippines answered straight to the point.”

Supsup was the only finalist who answered in English during the question and answer portion.

However, Yahoo Philippines said that a query made through Winfrey’s Oprah.com site solicited this reply from a moderator, OWNModerator13: "There is no truth to the statement. Ms. Winfrey has not made any comments of this nature. Thank you for asking."

"Please note that there are many rumors circulating on the Internet. For this reason we encourage our members to visit the Press Room on Oprah.com to get the latest updates and news: http://www.oprah.com/pressroom/Press-Releases-Oprah-in-the-News," OWNModerator13 added.

"Angola takes Miss U 2011 crown, Shamcey Supsup lands 3rd"

 

         The final question is always like a final say and for Philippines Shamcey Supsup, her final question on the Final 5:

“Would you change your religious beliefs to marry the person you love? Why or why not?”

Her response: “I will not change my religion to marry the one I love. Anyone who loves me should also love my God.”

So then, what a journey it has been for Shamcey Supsup!!!

With all the hard work and effort that she had invested, it’s reaping time.

It is indeed a victorious night for all the 89 candidates and especially to the candidates who had made it to the Top 16, Top 10 and the final 5.

And for Shamcey who was able to make it from Top 16 to the Top 5, it was indeed a worthy experienced.

Shamcey Supsup joined the top 5 together with Miss Ukraine, China, Brazil and Angola.

Shamcey was described to be a very humble person and in fact when her name was called to join for the top 16 down to top 10 up to the final 5.

Joining Shamcey Supsup of the Philippines in the top 16 were  France, Kosovo, Colombia, China, Angola, Australia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Netherlands, USA, Ukraine, Panama, Costa Rica, Portugal, and Venezuela.

As the competition progress, after the Top 16, the swimsuit showcase then followed and it was Venezuela who got the highest fan vote via nbc.com, followed again by Philippines Shamcey Supsup. Moreover, for the evening gown, Shamcey got the same ranked from the fun vote, still at number 2 wherein it was Miss Angola who landed at the top spot.

Miss Angola Leila Lopes won this year’s Miss Universe crown who was followed by Oleysa Stefanko (Ukraine) – 1^st runner-up; Priscila Machado (Brazil)– 2^nd Runner-Up; Shamcey Supsup (Philippines) – 3^rdth runner up. runner up and Zilin Luo (China) – 4

"Filipino Cuisine A Food-Lover’s Insight To Filipino Cuisine"

Cebu-Lechon (Spit Roast Pig)

How does one define Filipino Cuisine? – This question wandered in my head for three days, unanswered. Then finally, I remembered how my elementary teacher defined Filipino culture; she stated that for her, our country is like a melting pot of culture and races.

In my case, “cooking pot” would be the best definition on the subject matter.

One would find it hard to pinpoint the origins of this certain cuisine since most if not all, were just “borrowed” from neighbouring countries.

The early natives only knew simple and primitive ways of cooking like boiling, broiling over fire and roasting; limiting their culinary experiences.

Sinigang-na-Hipon

Traders and invaders from neighbouring countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, India, would visit bringing with them produce & spices, – including a few recipes.

This created a unique taste profile found on local dishes available today.

For instance, our Sinigang bears resemblance with Sayur Asem, an Indonesian dish and sometimes even confused with the Malaysian dish called Singgang.

The Spanish Influence

Everything changed when Spain colonized the Philippines around 1521, bringing with them an entirely different culture, religion and culinary insights. Spanish cuisine has the largest influence in Filipino cooking, counting two-thirds of our local dishes being inspired by it. Filipinos however, utilized local ingredients as substitutes creating unique dishes that make up our very own Filipino cuisine we find today.  

Filipino Cuisine Today

Now, most Filipino dishes are classified by region, crediting the history and culture of certain areas. Pork Sisig for example, is a popular dish made with pork ears, face(mask) and seasoned with vinegar, onions and liver, served on a hot plate. It originated from a little restaurant owned by Lucia Cunanan in Angeles, Pampanga. In fact, I just had lunch there 2 days ago and am now craving for more of Aling Lucing’s Sisig. Bicolano’s on the other hand, are known for their Bicol Express; a pork dish cooked in coconut cream and with lots of chillies. There are more than a hundred variations of this dish but for me, nothing beats the real thing. The town of Iloilo is also famous for their La Paz Batchoy as well as their pastries. Lechon from Cebu, is also in demand across the country.

Pork Sisig - Bicol Express - La Paz Batchoy

The main reason for the diverse cooking styles is mainly due to the local produce abundant in the region. In Batangas, beef dishes are more common since cattle farming is one of their main produce. In the most areas of the Visayas and Mindanao, seafood is more of the norm, making beef prices a tad expensive. In some areas, both seafood and fish are hard to come by so game and vegetable dishes are often found.

Filipino Cuisine is a robust, colourful and hearty style of cooking that will surely be enjoyed by tourists and natives alike. Its wide array of flavour ranges from the subtle Spanish paprika to the super sour tamarind paste. It is unpredictable, audacious, surprising, mystifying and comforting at the same time.

I would like to introduce Filipino Cuisine to the world; even if you’re just a foodie, an avid reader or a professional chef, I encourage you to explore the flavours our cuisine has to offer. Together with the help of Steve & Nemia (who run this website), I will be featuring local dishes in my articles, which will also include facts, cooking tips, preparation and recipes on a weekly basis. In this way, I will be giving visitors a chance to taste what awaits them here in the Philippines.