TOPAZ HORIZON

I asked Vince over the weekend, "How much money do you think we need?"

He replied, "Just a little more. We're fine."

I know what he meant. He meant we're living a comfortable life but we need just a bit more so that the kids' education and our family's health requirements, should those arise, will be covered.

So I wondered how much would that cost. How much does a full education (grade school, high school and 4-year college course in a really good school) cost? How much will we need in case someone gets into an accident, gets cancer, gets some disease? My mind, not really sharp when it comes to money since I grew up without it, started going, "We'll need maybe 20 million pesos. We can live off the monthly interest. We can invest, too. Yes, just 20. That should do it. Wait, if I want to send the kids to IS or to the British School, we'll need a million or so a year. Twenty won't do!"

Then I started thinking, "Well, since we have boys, we really should get a house with a big garden. Definitely in a gated community for security. That house should start at 12 million. Then that will be enough. But we'll need to travel! Travel is the best education. We'll go around the world, experience all kinds of cultures. Yes, yes, and business class, of course, and nice hotels. Then that would be enough." Now, how much would all of that cost? Just thinking about it makes me tired. Vince and I will need to work hard and smart if we want to become mega-millionaires.

To be honest, I don't want to be that rich. Too much money is scary. Whenever I see in the news that someone won the lotto (last month's P178 million prize had just one winner), I always wonder what the winner would do with the money. And we've all heard about those stories that no matter how huge the prize is, all that money disappears in no time flat. (Plus, it attracts all sorts of negative energy.) Seems to me, once you have enough, you'll still want more.

image grabbed from Facebook (check out the Jeane Napoles's Rage Page)

I guess I'm thinking these things because I can't understand how someone gets greedy. The numbers that the Napoles and Co. (that company being the illustrious members of our Congress and Senate) have allegedly stolen from us is, well, I can't even imagine it. Seriously, my mind can't fathom billions of pesos. I tried thinking about it, "What if I were Napoles? Why would I think I need 28 houses in the Philippines? Why would I need 30 cars?"

I was told the government officials needed the money for the elections, which are very expensive. So I guess they really need it to stay in power. Not that I think that's an acceptable reason.

Okay, enough. I promised to keep things light and shallow here. But there... I just want to understand because I really can't understand how anyone can just keep wanting more and more and more.

Are you going?

Since we have no maids and nannies, I have to resort to food deliveries often. Sometimes, there are lots of leftovers when the kids decide they didn't want what they ordered after all. Now, you all know that eating leftover fast food is depressing. For example, leftover Jollibee Chicken Joy is no longer crispy. So what I do is turn them into something else!

I got this recipe from the package of rice we buy. This recipe is by Chef Laudico but I tweaked it so that it's now mine. It is super delicious!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp garlic, minced
4 tbsp onion, diced
2 tbsp carrots, diced (I used red bell pepper since I ran out of carrots.)
2 tbsp celery, diced
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1 cup chicken meat, cooked
2 cups rice, cooked
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk

Heat butter and sauté onions, garlic, celery and bell pepper. The recipe called for carrots but since I didn't have any, I used red bell peppers because they're just as crunchy and sweet. Plus, they add heat that carrots don't!

Add cabbage and when it's a bit limp, add the rice.

You can actually stop at this point and now you have fancy fried rice!

Add chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes. My chicken stock is just two Knorr chicken flavor cubes dissolved in hot water.

(If you have real chicken stock, much better! You'll just have to season the dish with 2 tbsp patis. Since I used flavor cubes, I didn't need seasoning.)

Add milk and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Add chicken meat.

Serve! This is sooo perfect for this rainy weather. Try it!

P.S. I hope you're all safe and warm and dry, dear readers.

Found this on the Internets today. That's what happens when you're stuck at home all day long.


Well, tell me something I don't know! I'm always in hot water.

I really am nonconformist. The most conformist thing I've done is get married and have kids but Vince and I are pretty unconventional (although we're happily conformist with the fidelity clause haha) and we raise our kids in a way that will make most of the perfect supermoms faint haha.

What's your number? Is it you? Find out here!