my first few steps to becoming a cook

In my wish to be good at cooking, I have:

1. Bought a White-Westinghouse, three-burner gas range plus oven. I wasn't sure if it was a good choice but my brother said the appliance was more than okay especially with the few surprise features we found when we got a much closer look of it at home. I chose it because it was just priced right for my pocket.
2. Bought new kitchenwares -- a rectangular glass bakeware for pasta dishes and ice-box cakes, a non-stick pan because our old frying pan looks quite a mess, wooden spoons, and a whisk.
3. Cooked my first-ever pancit bam-i, stir-fried noodles popular in the Visayas part of the Philipines. I swear it was yummy, but I think I could have done better if I added in slices of chicken liver.
4. Tried my hand in humba, a type of Filipino pork stew. I wasn't so proud of the result (read: won't rely on Internet recipes again), but still the neighbors gobbled them all up.
   

I'm enjoying this new hobby and I bet my neighbors are happier too. The downside of this, however, is I'm gaining some pounds. I can even see a little bulge in my tummy now! Got to grab my running shoes again and get back to the track.