First Communion

I have to tread with caution on my thoughts on this blog since no one topic is more controversial than religion.  In many ways, I feel religion is as ambiguous as politics. Yet most of us are deeply rooted in one.   A First Communion is a Catholic Church ceremony that "confirms" a child to the religion so that he/she can learn the culture and its values. There are different forms of the same process amongst Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism,  Islam and the various other religions of the world.  

Religion can be viewed as a way of life, a call of faith or a medium to enforce to us that there is a Supreme Being who controls the universe.  To do good unto others, to lead a pious life and to have compassion for those less fortunate seem to be the basic teachings of all religions.  It also teaches us that victory of good over evil often comes after much pain and suffering.  Religions believe in the concept of peace and harmony for all living beings.   Yet it is this very facet of life that can draw people into war and make us act in the most heinous fashion; all in the hope of achieving 'nirvana' or freedom for our soul.  We not only practice religion in everything we do but also try to preserve it through generations.   We may preach tolerance and secularism but in our hearts we find comfort in the 'way of life' that our mothers and grandmothers have taught us.  We may go to religious  schools for education but the influence of religion in our home far surpasses those of the outside world.  And when this passion for religion takes an ugly path, it becomes what is called fanaticism. 

I now know that it is important for my children to know the religious beliefs I hold, solely not because I want them to follow the same path but more so to ensure that I stay within my comfort zone of life.  For there is no other more difficult aspect of life than embracing a religious belief that is different from the one you were engrained with.

A simple white vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting topped with a sugarpaste replica of the young boy offering his prayers symbolic of the 'last supper' rites was created to wish the family a blessed event.

Busy Bees & Happy Hearts

 Many many years ago I was taught that teachers are to be respected, revered, thanked and occasionally given a place higher than the Almighty.  The last bit confused me slightly.  How could someone hold more importance than God?  What the quotation meant was that for the fortunate few of us who get an education, teachers play a very important role in shaping our destinies.  The value of any type of education is worth its weight in gold.  But the value of an education that teaches us to balance the brain with the feelings in our hearts is priceless.  Let me elaborate what I mean here.  

Contrary to the belief, it is actually not so hard to learn the mathematics, the sciences, the arts, the social sciences, literature and other topics from books, electronic media and through practice.  What is difficult are their applications in real life towards doing our best in our professions.  What is even more difficult is being smart about how we apply it all to the work we do...and perhaps what is the most difficult task is to decide whether we act with our mind or heart when doing the work we do.  I guess that is what makes the school my daughter goes to more special to me than others.  The principal and teachers of the school actually have a way of encouraging hard work and comradery amongst students starting from a very young age.  They are awarded with what's called a Busy Bee or a Happy Heart certificate.  Busy Bee amplifies hard work and sincerity in making academic progress while a Happy Heart symbolizes acts of kindness, compassion and a cheerful demeanor.  What a concept!  To teach kids to learn the value of sometimes playing fair and at other times being a tough competitor.  I believe it takes a great combination of these two attributes for succeeding in the real world.  Even amongst the best and most witty politicians and professionals, the ones with charm and charitable intentions are celebrated long after they depart the earth, making this life-lesson a worthwhile one for each one of us to adopt.

I raise my cup-cakes to salute the teachers of yesterday, today and tomorrow with a special thanks to those who will be a significant part of our life through our children's education.  These were chocolate cupcakes filled with a dollop of chocolate ganache on the inside and covered with all fondant decorations in keeping with the theme of the Teacher's Appreciation Day this year.  For only a busy bee with wings of heart can take flight and enjoy the honey of life.  Each cupcake was individualized with the initial of the last name of each teacher to make them feel extra special.

Bubbly Baby Duck

Egg-less white cake with chocolate mousse filling and butter cream frosting.  Bubbles were made of white chocolate.

Summer Berries

Summer is close by and we are now starting to see a glimpse of sunshine every now and then in Portland.  A handful of sweet and tart fondant berries atop a butter-cream vanilla cake with banana/custard filling hold the promise of a berry happy birthday.

Mother's Day

 It took me by surprise when I first heard of Mother's Day.  One has to put a date to celebrate the most important person in everyone's life? Really?  Isn't every day a Mother's Day?  Can you think of a day in your life when you haven't wailed her name, thought of her and missed her?  The first time I learnt of this celebration was when I was over 20 years old.  That in itself told me how utterly ungrateful and unthoughtful I might have been towards the least respected, least paid job in the world. So it's no small surprise that we really need to mark one date (at the very least) on our calendars to make sure we thank and appreciate mothers for just simply: everything.  

It was almost a decade later when I realized the true significance of the position and job title. What warms my heart is that we are doing something to spread the awareness amongst our children of how precious moms are.  Then there is something to be said about the moms of this century...Despite the diversity all around the world, mothers everywhere have managed to evolve over time to doing more and more. I find it extremely humbling when my mother or mother-in-law still finds the time and patience to learn something new, do something different...

From taking a serious interest in the professional world to enhancing their participation in politics, sports, world economy and even martial arts, the moms of this era have not let motherhood stop them at all!   Today's mothers are a chef, housemaid, friend, teacher, counselor and banker all rolled in one.  They say it takes a village to raise a child...I pretty much see the whole village in the moms of today.  Despite their new and enhanced roles it's quite a blessing indeed that most of them still love to indulge in their passions for fashion, entertainment and family fun.  They are what I call true divas!

So let's raise a toast for all the moms of the world with this year's design of lemon flavored cupcakes topped with a few fashion accessories in fondant.