Introduction to my blog

Hi, I am Marianne, been living in the US for 25 years, wow a long years. However, I grew up in the 7000 islands in the Philippines, mainly in the City of Manila. Growing up with strict parents a lot of siblings and maids around, was at times very tough because of the rules & regulations to follow. My father was always the commando in the family. I used to remember how he wants things in a right way, esp. us girls to learn how to do household chores. Each one of us were given a particular tasks to do which I hate, but no other choice as we have to follow. Like directing & showing the helpers how to clean, organized, & put things together. The other chores that we need to do also is to go to the market early in the morning to buy fruits, vegetables, fish, meat & chickens. Also to help out in cooking our lunches or dinner. At first, I was not into cooking, but our Mayordoma, who will I call by the name Honorata who's been with us for a decade, helped & showed me how to used fresh ingredients of incoporating fish meat & vegetables to make a delicious a home cook meal. The only ingredients to make the dishes taste so good is the MSG & salt we used to enhanced the flavor, which my Father osterized in our food. I understand why my Father never like us to use it, as it was not good for our body system. But in any lunch dinner table we always have assortment of dishes, mainly meat was my favorite. Considering lechon (pork sucking) was one of them, too. Our snack w/c we have in the mid afternoon of sugary cookies & pastries. The only good about it, my Mom, will only give one lolipop for each one of us (but I sneak into her fridge once in while for chocolate & sweets). So growing up in a way is tough but fun. I learned so much, that when I went to the States after college, I adapted so quickly to living independently. At first, I stayed with my older sister, I started to do cooking but I am not used to buy fresh ingredients as I cannot find certain filipino fruits, & vegetables & the meat I did not know which kind to buy. I started to take the easy way out, buy processed food, canned goods, fast food, which is unhealthy way, that I ballooned to another 20 lbs. Considering that I did no exercise, smoked, going to sleep late at night. All of this made me very sick. At one time in my life when I started my family, I looked myself in the mirror, & said do I have to be like this for the rest of my life, I might one day get all the diseases & sickness when I get older. So, I decided to live a more healthy lifestyle. I am hoping that people reading this blog will also learn to live healthy too!