Category Archives: Macro Photography

Halo-Halo, that’s what you’re looking at– a Filipino dessert with a name that means mix-mix that my Aunt Rose and I shared at midnight, before she headed back to Cleveland, yesterday. Calorie wise, taste wise, event wise, it was THE BOMB!  Tita (Aunt) Rose and I couldn’t stop emoting as we dug deep into the enormous parfait glass.  I was made ecstatic by more memories in the making, as the ice cream melted and mixed with the ice, milk and all else.

In all honesty, I believe some Filipino foods can be really odd, and maybe even unappetizing in its looks. But this beautiful and delightful concoction is refreshingly delicious! Unusual with layers of sweet red or mung beans, white beans, sugar palm fruit, Langka (Jackfruit), Nata de Coco (cream of coconut jelly made of fermented coconut juice) and Leche flan (creme caramel *I make mine the French way) topped with shaved ice, a little milk and then crowned with Ube (purple yam) ice cream, you may well consider it an antidote to brain freeze. Sometimes mixed with Macapuno, described as gelatinous mutant coconut strings, there is a possibility, you will forever be altered, especially if you tried THIS one I made.

Successfully better than what I’ve ever had in the past while growing up in the Philippines, I account my efforts to having made my own purple yam ice cream. Generous with the ingredient of Halayang Ube (purple yam jam) that I mixed with cream, milk and sugar before pouring into an ice cream maker, I fell in love with its delicate lavender color and taste, which I preferred over the strongly food colored, store bought equivalent. Purple yams into ice cream–yes I know, it makes you wonder! It’s…different. But then so is Johnny Depp. Only this ice cream is more rich and velvety than his often scraggly appearance. In retrospect, that makes him a disappointment. Haha! I’ll take the ube ice cream–thank you!

Isabella Rose at Amaya, The Grand del Mar on Mother's Day 2012

This is my Aunt who visited with me for nearly six weeks. Only 8 years older than me, she’s my same Aunt who rehearsed me over and over, preparing me diligently for the talent portion at the Miss World pageant held in London, so long ago in 1978. Her efforts paid off when I took home the award and nostalgia was a sweet companion with this reminder. The full exchange we had each day was as mixed as Halo Halo. We talked about life, men, women, children– people in general, including ourselves, our thoughts and what mattered to us both. We rummaged through my China cabinets, building sets up to twenty four as we sat through eBay, looking for special period finds on stuff I’ve had for years. Influenced by my strong fixation to well dressed tables, Tita Rose ended up with her own china set to pack. Then my sister Ronnie, who lives in Arizona, got clued in on what we were doing.  So then, she also wanted a set!

There were many other things we favored during her visit: Dior’s J’Adore perfume, Hello Kitty, blingy accessories where I have it in pink and she gets it in blue…flavored canned tuna, white truffle pizza, mango salads, and anything exotic or “different”. And yes, for Mother’s Day, we gave her that special something with the selling slogan “Think Different”.

Altogether, our shared experience can be remembered as a mound full mix of specialness. Not unlike this very one-of-a-kind creation, theoretically, I found the antidote to brain freeze: mix it all up (all you’re made of) and think …differently.  After my Aunt left, I was with a whole new comfort to proceed with new goals–happy to look back and forth, accepting even the fermented parts of life and crowning it with velvety rich memories.