Friday Five = Why 2005 is The Best Year Ever

sunrise over Kauai (Hawaii). Photo taken 9/24/05.


Yes, 2005 is not a pain-free year by any measure for me and those I love, but even with that knowledge, this year has absolutely been, without question, the best year of my life to date.

That's a pretty serious claim to make. But I make it anyway with full conviction. The reasons are manifold. But here's a top 5.

Why Teaneck T Hearts 2005:

1. This is the year I met Amy Burke (endless thanks to my friend Pax on that one). Amy technically goes by the label of chiropractor, but what she really does is heal people and what she really is is... well, no Friday Five photoblog entry, superior or otherwise, can cover that. Her healing capability is unlimited. She is unlimited. Without Amy, I would never have transformed in the way I did this year. I can honestly say that Amy has given me the gift that is my true self. I recommend her to all women, men, children, dogs, cats, parakeets, turtles, monkeys, salamanders, plants, etc., ad infinitum. Amy is The It Girl Extraordinaire.

2. This is the year I quit my office job. Ostensibly to write full-time, but really to allow myself to explore options, as general and vague as that statement is. Big thanks to Lorin, to LiquidNet (his company), and to much-beloved Money Energy for this opportunity. (Also big thanks to Amy, but all my blessings this year can be traced back to Amy so let's just make that gratitute humming throughout this entry.) Through Lorin's encouragement and belief in me, and despite my gaping fears and intermittent panic attacks, I spent this year writing; thinking; opening; and just listening to every creative cell in my body.

3. This is the year I became a licensed driver. To know me is to know what a HUGE accomplishment that is. That's big. That's bigger than me quitting the employed life -- and I've been employed non-stop since I was 13 and suddenly I'm not employed, and so to say that this driving thing is bigger means I'm talking major mental reconstruction has been accomplished here.

4. This is the year Lorin and I celebrated our ten-year wedding anniversary. What makes the celebration even better was we realized we are happier now, as individuals and as a couple, than we were then. The awareness that we keep continuing to grow and connect in our growth never ceases to amaze us. (And yes, Lorin sees Amy too.)

5. This is the year I began doing Reiki. Of the five, I would say this is the biggest one of all. It's so big that prior to this blog entry less than 10 people in my life knew that I've been doing it, and of that number I would say only 2-3 know how much Reiki means to me. (With Teaneck T, there is an inverse proportion between what is important and what she discusses with family and friends. Sharing this photoblog is one attempt to reverse that inversion.) Reiki IS my life now. Reiki is everything. Reiki, it turns out, is my true path, and in some ways truer than writing has been for me. And THAT, good people, is big.

Thank you so much, 2005! There's nothing like being the favorite. I heart you forever.

we bless you and we love you

Dina's dad, aka Tito Andy (d. Oct 2005). Photo taken 12/24/03 by Ate.


Thank you for all your love and life and laughter, Tito Andy. Know that you will always be loved.

I also thank you, my dear sweet Auntie Sially (my mom's sister-in-law; d. mid-2005). How I would have loved to embrace you and talk to you when I went to Bicol earlier this year.

We wish you peace. We honor you always.

volcano eruption at dusk

Kilauea Volcano eruption (Big Island, Hawaii). This volcano's vent, called Pu`u O`o, has been erupting nonstop since 1983, which makes this still-ongoing eruption the longest one in recorded history. Photo taken on 9/18/05.


Goodbye, anger. Goodbye to all forms of my explosion and implosion. Goodbye to all hurts, and all sadness. I release you all.

the sun has set on my office workaholism

one wee portion of my overcrowded desk at my old job. I was supposed to archive all those goddam disks but could never got around it, so they just kept piling up. Photo taken 8/24/04.


Goodbye, Facts On File and all the previous versions of Facts On File in my life before that. Sayonara to my dysfunction that made me give too much of myself so that my boss won't be displeased with me, or so that the company's goals will be met if I work till 10pm, till midnight, and on weekends, or any and all f*cked up beliefs I held for years when it comes to being employed.

Goodbye to living for the opinions of external authority figures. Goodbye to not honoring myself and what I love. If I ever work in an office again for another employer, I will first make sure the old part of me that lives for psycho parent-child office relationships has completely and peacefully vanished.

This week's theme: Twilight

our street, 3/17/05


Today marks the beginning of the last week of 2005. Time to bless and say farewell to all that needs to be released. The word "twilight" comes to mind.

I looked up what exactly the word means after I've been feeling, or intuiting, this word for this week's project. Here's what Webster has to say about it: "(noun) 1. the light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between sunset and full night produced by diffusion of sunlight through the atmosphere and its dust. 2. an intermediate state that is not clearly defined."

That sounds about right to me.

Friday Five - Top 5 Christmas songs

Tres marias, un Pinoy, y un Gringo: Ate, Mike, me, Cookie, Lorin. Christmas 1996 in Staten Island. Photographer unknown.


Top 5 Christmas songs by Teaneck T:

Heh heh heh... I'm pulling teeth on this one because I'm actually not a fan of holiday music. Christmas songs make me think of malls and grouchy shoppers with bulging shopping bags. Well anyway, here's what I can come up with:

1. The Chanukah Song by Adam Sandler, both the original and Part 2. Not a Christmas song (duh!), but it's actually the one holiday music I never tire of listening to.

2. River by Joni Mitchell. The Indigo Girls also did a decent cover of it, but no one does it like my girl Joni.

3. Carol of the Bells as performed by George Winston.

4. Winter Wonderland BUT ONLY the version Harry Connick, Jr. does in the When Harry Met Sally soundtrack.

5. Merry Christmas From the Family by Robert Earl Keen. Man, this song is messed up and every bit worth listening to as the Adam Sandler song. When I played it in the guitar for my friend Pax she laughed so hard I couldn't get through the whole song.

All songs are available in iTunes if you care for a 99-cent listen.

Christmas season 1994

This was taken a few days after (or before?) Christmas in 1994, when Lorin was just of mere boyfriend status. Who knew we would be married nine months later? (And no, it had nothing to do with pregnancy, ya gossip mongers.)

Lorin and I were happy then. Lorin and I are happy now. Lorin and I will always be happy, s'far as we're concerned.

Photo taken in my parents' house in Staten Island. Photographer unknown (though I'm guessing it was Ate).

Christmas in the Philippines

These decorative Stars of David (we embrace Jews) or Stars of Bethlehem (we embrace Christians) made in the Philippines are called parol (we embrace Pinoys). I saw parols everywhere when I was in the Philippines last month. Seeing them made me feel nostalgic. For what exactly I don't know.

This photo was taken on 11/5/05 at Manila International Airport. Chances are this display has been up for four months, since Christmas season in the Philippines begins in September. This is not an exaggeration. Pinoys can be quite the fanatic Catholics. Or at least they find any excuse to party.

The 'rents on Christmas 1996

Mom and Dad showin' the love on Christmas Eve 1996. By my calculation this photo was thus taken on the day of their 30th wedding anniversary. Das right -- the lovely 'rents got married on December 24, 1966.

We'll be greeting you again in a few days, Mom and Dad! I love this picture of them. My Dad's smile in this photo cracks me up. That's his amused-and-contented smile.

This week's theme: Christmas

Man alive, I've been remiss on my photoblogging duties. No matter -- no one reads this blog anyway. It might help if I actually let people know it exists.

This week's theme is.... Christmas. It was sure hard coming up with that topic. Not!

Above photo is of my favorite little person in the whole wide world. Taken on Christmas day (December 25 for you heathens) of 2004. Kayla wasn't even a year old then. It took her parents more than an hour to open all her presents that year. Holy materialism, Batman!

Happy Birthday, Ate!

At the beach in Misibis (Philippines) on 11/5/05.


Happy Birthday, beloved Ate! ("Ate" means older sister in Tagalog, for you non-Pinoys who need a translation.) But I like to call her "Ats" because, hey, when in America everything just has to end in "s." Yes?

Sidenote: How come I don't call Cookie "Ate" as well? (You know, as in "Ats Chinx" and "Ats Cooks.") Who the hell knows. The annals of sociopolitics in my family seems lost and forgotten.

Well anyway. Have fun gambling in AC on your birthday, Ats! This poker player extraordinaire turns ex-y-eight this year. Yee-hah!

Happy Birthday, Cookie!

"Cookie and Barney standing by a tree. K-I-S-S-I-" ....oh, never mind. Photo taken Christmas Eve 2004 at their house.


Happy Birthday, beloved sister-and-neighbor! The Cookmeister turns ex-y-five this year. Yeay!

Friday Five -- 5 Autumn dishes I like to make

Milton Votee park in Teaneck. Taken 10/31/2004.


Five dishes I like to make in the Fall. Notice how they're all Thanksgiving dishes (except for the last one). That's because Thanksgiving is one of the rare times I cook anything all year.

1. Roast turkey. For the first 45 minutes of roasting I place slabs of bacon all over the turkey, holding them in place with toothpicks, and I let the bacon fat (er, I mean, taste) drip onto the turkey. Big thanks to Mrs. Scarpulla for this tip. For the rest of the roasting time I baste the turkey with butter mixed with a combo of ground spices. Bottom of the roasting pan has 4-6 cups of chicken stock along with thyme, rosemary, sage, garlic, and onions.

This year I cut up the bacon and, instead of shovelling them all down my greedy little mouth, I refried them with string beans and garlic. Who says I never serve vegetables?

2. Homemade stuffing -- I usually use the James Beard recipe. Dee-lish. (Though the recipe I use is from the book How to Cook Everything and is slightly different from the link I provided. I add porcini and white mushrooms in my stuffing.)

3. Candied yams. Score! Here's one way to do it, though I use 1 cup of brown sugar, not 3/4 cup.

4. Mac and cheese. Not from the box, people. And please don't use the word "Velveeta" around me.

5. Broccoli baked with cheese and bread crumbs. Fattening, but quite comfy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! This year I am spending it cooking for the family. Fourth year in a row, but who's counting?

Above photo taken on Nov. 28, 2003. No, it's not from a magazine. Yes, it was I who made the turkey. No, I didn't photoshop the picture -- it really did come out golden brown like that. Yes, it was quite delicious. No, it didn't take 6 hours; it took more like 9 hours. Yes, Lorin did help do some chopping and lifting and mashing while I made the rest of the meal.

The little dishes of baked squash alongside the turkey were made by my friend Ken.

Foliage - 1993

Part of the Nature Preserve at SUNY Binghamton. Photo taken Fall 1993 (when Teaneck T was a junior in college).

Would you freakin believe that THIS was the view outside my bedroom window? Das right. Everyday for a whole year I would wake up, look out my dorm, and **this** wondrous delight was what greeted me. The state of the leaves varied through the course of the year, but the sky was almost always an incredible shade of blue like this one.

I loved loved LOVED living in those Hillside dorms. It wasn't a standard dorm -- it was more like a cottage townhouse situated on the outer hills of campus (hence the name). Oftentimes I would see a family of deer grazing right outside my window.

Those Binghamton years made a nature-loving freak out of me. Ever since then I've always preferred hiking over shopping, mountains over cities, and quiet landscapes over bustling crowds. This New York City kid was never the same after Binghamton.

Foliage - circa 1991

Cookie, me, Mom, Ate. Photo taken on October 1991 in Binghamton, NY by my dad.

Background story: It was my first year away from home. There I was on a college campus 3 hours north of New York City. Boo hoo hoo to homesick me! More like double boo hoo hoo for my family, who missed me. So on a nice crisp autumn day in 1991, they drove up to visit the lonely runaway child. A lucky bonus for all of us was that it happened to be peak foliage that weekend in upstate NY.

Sorry this wasn't a close-up, folks. How we all looked back then will be shrouded in history.

This week: Foliage

Hey, what's the deal? I come back from the Philippines and -- bang! -- foliage peak season is over. No leaf peeping for me, which this photo junkie is quite sad about.

So in honor of what I missed this year, I'm making this week's photo theme on Fall foliage. I love Fall! I love the colors, the weather, the clothes! I love everything about it! Heck, I got married on the first day of Fall -- that's how much I love it! To have missed this year's season is a sheer crime.

Well anyway. Above picture was taken on October 30, 2004 in one of 'em Teaneck, NJ parks. Cheers to you, Teaneck. You are as lovely as my blog name.

Friday Five -- 5 Things About My Trip to the Philippines

Mayon Volcano as seen in Cagsawa, Bicol. Photo taken 11/3/05.


Yes, I know this is supposed to be a photoblog, but when did I ever follow self-imposed rules? All it takes is one new brilliant idea by self to throw the whole previously-constructed brilliant idea, also by self, for a major loop.

So here goes. I'm starting this new thang which I can only call "Friday Five." Simply put, every Friday I will post 5 answers to a self-given survey. Or at least I will try to post 5 answers to a self-given survey. The answers will not be in any order, but thrown out willy-nilly, off the top of my head, off the cuff, etcetera etcetra...

Anyway. To launch this new fandangled idea I hereby start with:

5 Things I Liked About My Trip to the Philippines:

1. Having a wonderful time with my uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, and grandnephews whom I had not seen in 24 years or had never met before.

2. Eating good barbecue and garlic rice at Inasal sa Bacolod or whatever that chain is called which they have in malls. And eating ube ice cream.

3. Seeing my childhood places in Bicol, in particular my grandparents' home which we used to visit every Holy Week.

4. Finding lots of unique scenes or vistas to photograph.

5. Seeing the Mayon Volcano in various weather and shade over the course of four days.

Uncle Ning (my mom's brother) posing in front of a bakery in Tagaytay. He is one of the kindest, humblest, most patient, no-frills human beings I've ever known. Photo taken 10/31/05.

Parked tricycles in Tagaytay. Didn't get to ride in one. Photo taken 10/31/05.

Our Lady of Managwa

Our Lady of Managwa in Tagaytay. Statue rises 3 stories high. This place is a meditation and healing center, with some **bizarro** stories that happened to yours truly while inside. If you don't believe in miracles then consider what happened to me a figment of my imagination. Photo taken 10/31/05.

In foreground, standing in profile, is my Auntie Vil (my Mom's older sister). Mom is the dame with the red shirt whose back is to the camera.

Take 2 -- the photoblog phoenix rises

Turns out I was just kidding re the previous entry. I'm back from the Philippines. Up until this month I hadn't visited since I left the country at age nine. It was an important trip -- I seem to have come full circle. Which means it's time to create a new one. So now that I'm on "take 2" mode let me resuscitate this site, at the very least so that relatives from across the vast ocean can see ongoing pics of life among NY Montoyas -- or at least life according to me and my photosnapping fingers.

This is Taal Volcano in Tagaytay. Photo taken 10/31/05, which was my second day in the Philippines. Taal is the smallest volcano in the world. Didn't know that until I saw the fact emblazoned in souvenir shirts at a gift shop. It was overcast that day, which was great for recently sun-poisoned me.

Thank you for visiting

Hi. This site will be removed on July 15, 2005. Thank you so much for visiting the site.

Thursday = family

Ate and 4-month-old Kayla at the Giffin's pool -- August 28, 2004. This was Kayla's first time swimming.

Wednesday = me

Hiking around Olympic National Park, Washington. Taken August 4, 2004. The view from the mountaintop was one of the best vistas I've ever seen in my lucky life.

Tuesday = clan

Standing: Missy and Jim; Sitting: Uncle Poly (or Paul if you're a non-Pinoy) and Auntie Ruby. Taken July 31, 2004 at Rodel & Elizabeth's weddding, Seattle.

Monday = friends

Lukas (aka Eeyore) Strelecky and his dad Dave (aka Teaneck T's former officemate). Photo taken Halloween 2004 by Debra, Eeyore's mom.

Friday = random pick

Lorin after a (devastating?) phone call. Or maybe he was avoiding the phone next to him. Taken November 2004.

Thursday = family

Ate, 7-month-old Kayla, and Cookie. Taken November 2004.

Wednesday = me

Our first real garden. Plant it in the Fall, watch them blossom in the Spring. Nature's wisdom prevails again.

Tuesday = clan

Bunzo cousin Fides -- Central Park, April 1999. "Where the hell am I," ponders the Fids. Actually, I think she posed for it. You know, the lost-in-Manhattan look.

Monday = friends

Karaoke night with Pam. You go, Pam. Sing to that inner choir!

Happy, Anniversary, Mike + Cookie!

Happy anniversary, Mike + Cookie! My, how quickly the six years have flown... (photo taken by their wedding photographer)

Friday = random pick

Dad sometime in the 1970s. I wish I could see that wall calendar better to know what the exact year this photo was taken, but none of the text is readable. I was obviously not the photographer for I was born in 1972. When this was taken Dad is most likely not much older than my age now. That thought never ceases to amaze me.

Thursday = family

Kayla's 1st birthday party on April 2 -- approx five hours before the big blackout that night. What's with the yellow lighting? Many of the shots taken by Teaneck T that day were hazy since everyone kept moving around. From left: Bess's niece named Chessica, Mama Cookie, the birthday baby, and Bess's other niece named Jessica. (Don't ask.) Bess is the wife of Jeff who is the cousin of Papa Mike.

Teaneck T believes that, along with charity, photoblogging begins at home. And here is mine. Taken late Fall, October 31, 2004.