Unforgettable Ride on an Airport Taxi

"I was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing I noticed was the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for me.

He handed me a laminated card and said, 'I'm Wasu, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk, I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, I read the card. It said, 'Wasu's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest, and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.'

This blew me away. Especially when I noticed the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wasu said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.'

I said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.'

Wasu smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, lassi, water, and orange juice.'

Almost stuttering, I said, 'I'll take a lassi since I’ve never had one before.'

Handing me my drink, Wasu said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have Good Housekeeping magazine, Reader’s Digest, The Bible, and a Travel + Leisure magazine.'

As we were pulling away, Wasu handed me another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Wasu told me he had the heater on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for me.

pc: wikipedia

Then he advised me of the best route to my destination for that time of day. He also let me know he'd be happy to chat and tell me about some of the sights or, if I preferred, to leave me with my own thoughts.

'Tell me, Wasu,' I was amazed and asked him, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Wasu smiled into the rearview mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard about power of choice one day.'

'Power of choice is that you can be a duck or an eagle. If you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. Stop complaining! Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'

pc:  wikipedia

'That hit me right,' said Wasu. He continued and said, 'It is about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that has paid off for you,' I said.

'It sure has,' Wasu replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year, I'll probably quadruple it. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on it.'

Wasu made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles. I hope we all decide to soar like an eagle and not quack like a duck."

Credit: Summer Grace Vanni

**

Rachel Cruze: Chic fil-A Hacks to Save Money $ at the Drive-thru

George Kamel, wikipedia

It's Summertime!  

Treat your kids at Chic fil-A once in a while and not feel so poor $$ afterward. 

Below are good, easy money-saving ideas from Dave Ramsey's daughter, Rachel Cruze, and Dave Ramsey co-host, George Kamel.  Watch their facebook video about this with the link below:

We went to Chick-fil-A to test some money-saving drive thru hacks! Try these hacks and let us know what you think! 👇

🔴 BLT: Just order a toasted bun with bacon, lettuce, and tomato. A great sandwich for about $2!

🔴 KID YOURSELF: Order a kids meal, and swap the toy for an Ice Dream in cup or cone. Food, drink, and dessert for under 6 dollars!

🔴 TWO SANDWICH HACK: Get two sandwiches on the cheap by getting an order of 4 count chicken strips and two buttered buns. Should save you about $2!

📍*exact prices will vary depending on your location

🠊Link to Rachel Cruze's  Facebook video 🠈

**

RECIPE: Egg Rolls & Great Hints!

Her question:  You guys!  My Italiano husband and I host our entire family at our home for Christmas every year. Everyone (on both sides) but mostly my husband’s side of the family always asks for Lumpia but I never make it simply because it smells up my home (I’d rather have my house smell of pine and cinnamon) but more importantly I’m afraid the lumpia will be soft and soggy by the time everyone arrives. I’m thinking perhaps I’ll make it a go this year (MAYBE) but do you guys have any suggestions on what I can do? (*not my picture) Help a mestiza out!! H E L P!

ANSWERS/HINTS:

- Fry up smaller batches at a time.. And then fry up more as needed so they’re not soggy. I also got a deep fryer that has a lid on it so the smell is not so strong. With these you can also use them outside, so if you want that option it’s easy too. I got mine at walmart and still use it even here in Italy!

-I was also going to suggest cooking them outside. Or perhaps you can have them catered?

-Deep fry when people are at the house so it stays crispy but do it outside. Even most Filipino people prefer to cook outside so it doesn’t stink up the house (hence: why we have this thing called the dirty kitchen) 

But you gotta monitor it- don’t just fry for a dew minute and shut it because you wanna be sure it doesn’t burn or undercook.

- I’ve learned this from my Vietnamese friend, put 1/4 tsp of white vinegar on non-heated oil before frying. Keeps it crisp for days!

- When I don't want too much of a smell, I use Crisco. What smells is the burning of the vegetable oil or peanut oil. Solid Crisco, even once it melts for frying, doesn't smell so bad.

-Buy a little portable butane stove and fry it outside. My lumpia’s stay crispy all night. Leftovers too still crispy in the morning. After I fry it I stand them up to drain the oil out good then transfer it to something else but still standing.

- Reheat them in an oven or air fryer if you have one. That should keep them crunchy

- my aunt does this for family parties but she has a mini deep fryer and cooks the lumpia in the backyard so it doesn’t stink up the house. You can try to cook them right before they arrive so they dont get soggy, and then throw another batch in there when you run out 

- Tips from a chef #25
Frying lumpia

Frying in your house can leave a smell. So fry outside to avoid the smell. DO NOT fry ahead of time. Wrappers of any kind do not have a strong enough lecithin in the mix to hold together the crisp and there is no trick to keeping it crispy when reheating if they get cold. 

So solution is to fry in batches. 

However what you can do is fry a little for the party so everyone can have one and freeze the rest. Write on the bags DO NOT THAW. As that will also cause sogginess. They can be fried frozen straight to the fryer. This can make a great xmas gift for them to have within six months of expiration

Sincerely, Chef Sy V

- I make ahead lumpia, store them in freezer, fry them frozen outside my house in the deep fryer. Keep them warm and crispy in the oven just set the oven to 175. My husband friends and family loves it.

- Fry in peanut oil usually they are super crisp...not very healthy though. Or after frying store in oven on low temp maybe 200 to stay crisp

- Make the lumpia ahead of tome and freeze them. Fry em in a deep fryer (electric fryer which has a calibration for temperature) to avoid getting much oil into the lumpia. 

For some fun let your hubby’s family participate in frying them! Lol

I  warm it up to 400 degrees then put it down to 375.  The key to a crispy lumpia is to fry them while its still frozen. And cook them in small batches , don't overcrowd them. It will stay crispy for over an hour. (I used to cater and make thousands if lumpia, 

- Make a slurry(cornstarch with water) then soak 1 by 1 before frying it,it become crispy for a longer time.  Get a fryer. Use peanut oil. Do not cover the lumpia’s when they’re done. Leave them standing to drain the oil.

- Before putting the lumpia, put a drop of vinegar to the heated oil, then after it splatters, put the lumpia. Do it again every time you put new lumpia to fry. It will keep the lumpia crispy for a longer time

- 

And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.

10All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him? ( Psalm 35: 9-10)

You Know You're Filipino: EGGROLLS

**

US General Election 2020: Farewell, So Long, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

 I write this post a couple of weeks before USA's very important General Election. We should be in Europe by now, Lord willing -- on a long-awaited vacation and/or an escape from these "tumultuous" time. 

So, will it be President Trump, or a President Harris ... ehrrrr, President Biden??  Either way...

For a small amount of perspective at this moment, imagine you were born in 1900. When you are 14, World War I starts, and ends on your 18th birthday with 22 million people killed. Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until you are 20. Fifty million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million.

When you're 29, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, global GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy. When you turn 39, World War II starts. You aren’t even over the hill yet.

When you're 41, the United States is fully pulled into WWII. Between your 39th and 45th birthday, 75 million people perish in the war and the Holocaust kills six million. At 52, the Korean War starts and five million perish.

At 64 the Vietnam War begins, and it doesn’t end for many years. Four million people die in that conflict. Approaching your 62nd birthday you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, could well have ended. Great leaders prevented that from happening.

As you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends. Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How do you survive all of that? A kid in 1985 didn’t think their 85 year old grandparent understood how hard school was. Yet those grandparents (and now great grandparents) survived through everything listed above.

Perspective is an amazing art. Let’s try and keep things in perspective. Let’s be smart, help each other out, and we will get through all of this. In the history of the world, there has never been a storm that lasted. This too, shall pass.

***

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call 

on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 (Acts 2:21)

Perspective is Amazing ...

**

List: Cat Kitty Names for Musicians and Singers

Here is a list of cute mostly-Musician Cat names  which is by no mean exhaustive:

Kitney Spears (pc: DuPage)

KATchaturian

ChaiCATsky

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Ephesians 4:29 ***

Liberals vs Conservatives: Beer and the Wheel

pc: wikipedia

Beer and the Wheel:

The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel.

Beer required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture.

Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.

The wheel was invented to get man to the beer and vice versa. These two were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:

1.Liberals.

2.Conservatives.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement.

Other men who were less skilled at hunting (called 'vegetarians' which was an early human word meaning’ bad hunter') learned to live off the Conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQ's and doing the sewing, fetching, and haidressing. 
This was the beginning of the Liberal movement.

Some of these liberal men "evolved" into women. Others became known as girlie-men.

Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that Conservatives provided.

Over the years Conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass for obvious reasons.

Modern Liberals like special flavored beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine spritzers or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done.  Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. 



Another interesting evolutionary side note: many liberal women have higher testosterone levels than their men.

Most college professors, social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, filmmakers in Hollywood, group therapists and community organizers are liberals. Liberals meddled in our national pastime and invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink real beer. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are members of the military, big game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, engineers, corporate executives, 
athletes, airline pilots, and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other Conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when Conservatives were coming to America. They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for nothing.

Here ends today's lesson in world history. It should be noted that a liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to this post. A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be shared immediately to other true believers and to just piss-off more liberals.

And there you have it. Let your next action reveal your true self, I'm going to grab a few beers and grill some steaks! Right after I forward this.

- via Bill Mattson

B E E R

W H E E L






***

FYI: What Pope Francis is Not

Anniversary: Mr. Jorge Mario Bergoglio (also known as Pope Francis) was elected the head of the Catholic Church as Pope on this day (March 13) in the Year 2013. 

 Beware of false prophets, 

which come to you in sheep's clothing, 

but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Matthew 7:5

Pedophile Priest Sex Scandal

Pope Francis aka Jorge Mario Bergoglio

fb: Stop Playing Church

Mary Was Not Born Sinless

***

Is It Good News for English and Spanish Speakers?

True or False?

ENGLISH:  total speakers  983 million

SPANISH:  total speakers 527 million

add together = 1.5 billion people

Estimated world population = 7.6 billion

1.5 divided by 7.6 is barely 20% of the current world population.

  The Nerds -- you are wrong!

List: The Most Spoken Languages in the World

Current World Population

The Lord Jesus Christ speaking 

***

Whoa! Persecution for their Christian Faith Results in This

An example of what has happened, may need to happen, and will happen as Christians the world over are hunted-down for their faith in Christ Jesus.

And the Lord,

he it is that doth go before thee;

 he will be with thee, 

he will not fail thee,

 neither forsake thee:

fear not, neither be dismayed.

Deuteronomy 31:8

FB: Release International

34.01.2020

***

USA: Can You Name Your First Amendment Constitutional Rights?

No wonder I love the U.S. of A!!! Remember these Rights the next time someone tries to shut you up. Also remember that these rights apply to the person standing next to you or arguing with you on FB or IG. 

50-ton First Amendment tablet 'mural' at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.  

This tablet was constructed with "pink" Tennessee marble. - wikimedia

The 5 Guaranteed Rights/Freedoms in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution:

• Freedom of Religion
• Freedom of Speech
• Freedom of the Press
• Freedom to Assemble Peaceably
• Freedom to Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances

Your Guaranteed 5 Freedoms

US Constitution: 1st Amendment

The Bill of Rights





8.1.2020
*******

November Elections: Whatever the Outcome

"How will it end? We can be terrified when we're caught in the middle of a sad story, even if it has a very happy ending. Jesus is our promised happy ending. Please pray for the elections in the US today. But know that, whatever the outcome, Jesus is the beginning, the middle and the end of the Great Story." ~ from Haven Today

God bless the U.S.A !!!

***