This potted tulip of mine only gives me flowers once a year. And it’s always a bunch of three. Today, October 23, 2009, my birthday, I was pleasantly surprised upon having coffee in our veranda when I saw the first flower in full bloom. Last year, the same bunch of flowers came to bloom on September 30. But this year, it waited for my birthday.

Once again, I have transcended another fruitful stage of my life. I’m officialy turning 32 today. I am in my fullest hopes and simmering excitement for a new and better chapter. I thank God for all the blessings he has bestowed upon me, my family, and my friends in my past year, and I’m in my fervent prayers that when the clock strikes 9 tonight, the hour of my birth, a new and happier life is on deck to flourish, just like this flower. Here’s to hoping that this is indeed a sign of good times.

slice the vegetables into long pieces (usually longer than how the Ilocano cook does it). ampalaya, okra, string beans, eggplants, and include the squash, which you like.

saute some garlic. then when it gets golden brown, throw it away. do not include it in the recipe. we’re only after the flavor. then saute the red onions, the ginger (very important!), and the tomatoes. do this real quick, don’t let the spices cook.

it’s a different case, though, if you would want to include some pork slices with the fat. if you do this (mas masarap), don’t use oil anymore. do it before you saute even the garlic. on the heated pan, put the pork fat slices on really low fire. wait for the oil to come out from the fat, and for the “balat”/pork skin to turn crispy brown like a little bit of citcharon (this takes quite long). take out the pork so you can saute the spices on the animal fat. you will put them back later on.

after the spices, put back the pork, and here, it is your option to add some shrimps (cooked, steamed at least) or some sliced lechon kawali. if you have chicharon, ang sarap din ihalo nyan.

still same procedure on the spices — throw away the garlic and don’t let the rest cook itself.

after the spices, add two or three tablespoons of the “bagoong alamang”/shrimp paste and saute VERY QUICKLY. Like 15 seconds. How tasty it would be is your option, but do not exceed 3 full tablespoons. Add a little soy sauce just to give it color (maximum of 3 tablespoons on a normal quantity).

then time to add your vegetables. sequence: the hard ones first — the string beans and the squash. after about about 2 minutes, add mo ung mga malalambot — the eggplant, the ampalaya, and the okra. [VERY IMPORTANT: don’t add water, or else everything will end up like the Ilocano pinakbet!] let the vegetables excrete their water by covering the pan after mo haluin, and let it simmer.

how cooked the vegetables would be is your option. I usually prefer it crispy and half-cooked. After a little while, your pinakbet is done.