krabi day 2 - island hopping

you could arrange for island hopping in  tour shops along aonang. ate suggested the phi phi island tour for first time visitors like us. 

at around 8:20, a jeep-like vehicle will pick you up from your resort, fetch other tourists, and bring you to the speed boat that will take you to paradise.

itinerary for the island hopping:

looks promising? it exceeded our expectations :) 

krabi day 1

so we left singapore feeling hopeful... all prepped up for our much awaited krabi holiday. the only mishap was when our 170 ml sunblock was confiscated. our fault.

the weather was this great from up above: 

then when the pilot announced that we are 10 minutes away from our dream, the clouds became ominous like this:

"light rain," the pilot said. uh oh. any phrase with "rain" isn't good (well, except "no rain") bwahahaha!

safely landed. thank God! then we found our transport to the resort without any hassle. thank God!

then my fave pair of shoes got wet because of the puddles made by the "light rain." ugh. bad bad bad.

in other news: krabi is like laguna, or silang, or batangas. big time! they have sceneries like this. please excuse the blur. i know you know what i mean.

and they have mountains, cliffs like this:

everything is perfect except for the rain.

our room is basic but perfect like this. see the elephants?

from our room, we could see this cliff:

and from the pool area, lush scenes abound:

the beach is 400 meters away from the resort: 

i have been warned. friends said that once you see the beaches here, you will appreciate what you have in our dear philippines - boracay, palawan. true indeed. aonang beach is like the beaches in batangas. nothing compared to boracay :) it wasn't a pretty sight probably because of the rain. dark clouds and beaches really don't match.

what i appreciate:

- an ounce of preparedness, but may we never use this route.

- a million and one 7-11 stores

- lovely pathways at night:

- motorbikes for rent

- authentic thai food hahaha

- courteous people. even ronald!

- chill out nightlife even on an off-peak season. wonder how it is on peak season? parteh parteh everywhere? we got to taste their local beer. good :)

- the coastline in aonang beach is unexploited. unlike in boracay where resorts also claim sand and the shorelines due to lack (or abuse) of regulations. here, they have kept the beach untouched and all the resorts are sort of uphill - away from the beach.

day one was unhampered by the rain! we got to explore and walk around during the afternoon/night on the chilly streets. i think you can survive here even if you don't pack a lot of stuff. the stores will keep you alive. just bring cash hehehe!

ps: nothing beats boracay sand, yes. if only we'll have the discipline to preserve it, then it will remain to be one of the best beaches in the world, says the filipino girl. hehehe!

recipe (not mine) - homemade cheese

i've always wanted to make cheese. i made one a few months ago but it didn't taste good. it was overly sour and i may have added a ton of herbs.

i made another attempt today. i looked for a simple recipe and found one here: http://www.hanielas.com/2010/05/how-to-make-farmers-cheese.html

i just adjusted the recipe so it will yield just about 1/2 cup of cheese.

- 2 c milk

- 1/2 c buttermilk

- 26 mL of white vinegar (1 tbsp + 1tsp + 1/5 tsp. i know, it's complicated)

- salt (according to your taste, but maybe around a tsp)

here's the part when the curd and the whey are separating... right after the buttermilk and vinegar were added to the milk.

and here's when it's almost done draining...

that's your cheese there :) i added some more salt after draining. i like my cheese salty.

i'm thinking the taste will be very different when you use fresh cow's milk as in galing sa dodo ng cow. hehehe!

water picking

i think floss is one of the most wonderful things in this world. a quick check with wikipedia reveals that...

"Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist from New Orleans, is credited with inventing the first form of dental floss. In 1815, he recommended that people should clean their teeth with silk floss."

mr. levi, we owe you big time!

my first encounter with the water pick (or water flosser) was about some 6 or 7 years ago. mami had a tooth bridge (implants) and the most effective way of cleaning tooth bridges is by using a water pick. it is a device that shoots pressurized water into areas that are hard or impossible to reach. something like what dentists use when they clean our teeth!

so we had a water pick back then. it was screwed on the bathroom wall, powered by electricity. the heads were removable so you could replace with your personal head. medyo dyahe naman siguro kung share kayo ng head :) it's like sharing a toothbrush! 

when i moved here in sg, i switched to the "real" floss. the waxed thread-like thing. i am not a fan of winding floss around my fingers because 1) it hurts my fingers. i don't go easy on the winding part. not only my teeth, but also my fingers get flossed. and 2) i find it yucky to be touching floss that went between teeth and gums - with food particles and all! i know. ang arte diba?

so i switched to dental flossers with handles. it's perfect! very convenient. i hoard when there's a watson's/guardian sale. again, it's perfect!

until...

jan went to london to visit the queen hehehe. well, not really. she sent me a message that she found the most wonderful device on earth - a portable, rechargable water pick! isn't that the grandest?!?! without thinking twice, i asked her to bring one home for me. she was kind enough to accommodate. i will forever be grateful, mah friend (for this and a lot of other things).

THIS is flossing experience in the most enjoyable and convenient form! i think it's a perfect christmas gift for your loved ones. it takes some time to get used to it though. i assure you there will be lots of splashing water at first, but everything will be fine with practice and love (for teeth). wow!

fish soup on aliwal street

there's a fish soup hawker that kuya has been raving about for some time now. he says it's the best.

we finally tried it today after office. it's at beach road corner aliwal street. it's a hawker indeed! complete with estero, squat toilet experience. hehehe!

here's the fish soup. there are lots of goodies in this soup: fried battered fish fillet, spinach, fried egg, milk, dilis, browned garlic. soup + rice combo sells at $5.50. 

was it good? very good. just don't use the toilet :)

the world is full of love

please see my sms exchange with agnes, our agency contact. i had a last minute COE request. it was urgent and i'm not sure if she can accommodate it. upon learning that she could, i was ecstatic.

i love the overflowing love in this conversation. we are not even close friends :)

recipe - chicken wrap

miskipaps! all measurements are just approximates. go crazy if you want to. there really are no rules :)

this recipe was born when i had a little bit too much leftover for chicken mushroom dish. i was supposed to bring it as packed lunch for a couple of days, but other plans came about. we hardly eat rice at home (that's what i would like to believe in), so i transformed it into a wrap dish. yoyoyo! 

please excuse the lack of visuals.

ingredients:

for the chicken filling:

- 250 g minced chicken breast

- 1 medium tomato, chopped

- 1 medium onion, chopped

- soy sauce

- ground pepper, cayenne powder, 1/4 tsp each

- 1 can sliced button mushrooms ~ 1 cup

- sugar

- 4 cloves garlic, chopped

for the vegetable filling:

- lettuce (or any green vege you fancy)

- sliced tomatoes

- sliced onions (optional)

for the garlic-mayo sauce:

- 4 tbps mayo

- 3 tbsp white vinegar

- 3 cloves garlic chopped

- dried herbs/spices - oregano, basil, thyme, cayenne pepper

- salt and pepper

others:

- cheese

- thai sweet chilli sauce

- wrap

procedure:

chicken filling:

1. in a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the chicken filling, except the mushrooms, sugar, and garlic. go easy with the soy sauce. it's always easier to add than to reduce saltiness :) maybe you could start with 2 tbsp and just add while cooking. let it sit for about 30 mins.

2. in a pan, heat oil and saute garlic over medium heat. add the chicken and saute until chicken has changed in color.

3. add the mushrooms.

4. cover for about 5 minutes. remove cover and cook uncovered until there is no more liquid in the pan. you might want  to taste the chicken bits. add soy sauce sugar and adjust taste to make it yummey!

garlic mayo:

1. just mix 'em all up and adjust the taste as desired.

to assemble the wrap:

1. heat wrap according to package instructions.

2. place the wrap on a plate.

3. add the vegetables, chicken, mayo-garlic, thai sweet chilli sauce, cheese. go crazy!

4. wrap your wrap and enjoy!

note: i want to substitute mayo with plain yoghurt. it sounds healthier. i'm not sure how it will turn out though.

recipe - easy baked vegetables

ingredients:

- broccoli

- french beans

- carrots

- 4 cloves garlic

- some soy sauce

- olive oil

- salt, pepper

- dried herbs and spices

procedure:

1. cut the vegetables into bite size pieces.

2. put in a baking dish. drizzle with oil and soy sauce.

3. season with salt, pepper, herbs, spices.

4. bake in 180C for around 20 mins.

super done!

doodles - where i want to be

recipe - herbed chicken breast

cooking maski-papano style! 

ingredients: 

- 750 g chicken breast, cut into thin, even pieces (around 1/2 inch)

- dried herbs and spices: oregano, basil, thyme, cayenne pepper powder

- salt and pepper

- lemon juice from 2 lemons, around 1/4 cup

- 1/4 cup olive oil (equal parts with lemon juice)

- zest from lemon ~ 1 tsp.

- 4 cloves garlic, chopped

gravy:

- 1 chicken cube

- 1 tsp butter

- 1.5 tbsp flour

- 1.5 cups liquid obtained from chicken after baking

procedure:

1. rub chicken pieces with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, basil, and thyme. set aside and let the chix pieces relax ;)

2. combine the lemon juice, olive oil, and lemon zest, garlic. beat with fork to mix well. we ran out of olive oil so i used canola oil instead.

3. put the chicken in the lemon/oil mixture. mix well until all pieces are coated. 

4. transfer to a resealable bag. mix and massage a little. leave it in the ref for around 4 hrs.

5. put the chicken on a baking tray. baste using the marinade. bake in 180C for around 25-30 mins, or until chicken is done (no pink parts when you slice the meat).

6. liquid will build up in the baking dish. remove the chicken and drain. if desired, you can roast the chicken for about 5 mins more.

easy gravy:

1. collect the liquid from the baking dish.

2. in a sauce pan, melt butter over low heat.

3. stir in the flour until there are no more lumps.

4. add the liquid and chicken cube.

5. simmer until gravy-like in consistency.

easy :) healthy :) yummy :) 

perfect with salad and vegetables.

here's the finished product!

note: i read that marinating chicken in acid based marinade for too long (maybe more than 4 hrs) will make it flaky. it's not the case though when i marinated for about 8 hrs. :)

tiny hertbeats

the other day, i learned about the death of a dear friend's unborn baby. we don't have details. we just know that mommy and daddy learned that on (what might have been) the 8th month, there are no more tiny heartbeats... at a time when everything is ready. 

all the baby stuff, bottles, clothes, shoes are waiting. more than the material things, mommy and daddy are yearning to hold baby in their arms.

we sent flowers, but as if these could pamper them :( or minimize their pain. 

dear mommy and daddy and baby, may God's perfect plan be revealed.

doodles - escapo!

hold your breath and count to 10!

never make a noise!

we're almost there!

and we made it!

booked

we've finally booked our resort here!!!

the resort was recommended by franz, an officemate from spi.

the plan is simple. wait, what plan?

i guess we'll just fly to krabi on the 28th, relax like a sloth, roam around the islands like tourists do, burn our skin, eat like horses, and fly back to singapore on the 31st. sounds like a plan to me. :)

i took some pics from their website. looking forward to these!

kuya suggested that we should also go to bangkok to visit the night markets, food stalls, and the city proper. i was initially enticed, but our booked flight was from singapore to krabi, and not bangkok. i searched for domestic flights from krabi to bangkok and found crazy rates. i immediately scratched that off our list.

next, i got attracted to the idea of taking the 12-hr night train from krabi to bangkok. i read that the trains in thailand are safe and comfortable. a lot of tourists also recommend this route based on good experience. plus, i've never tried taking a night train so the idea really sounds so inviting. i could sing, "i'm leaving on a midnight train to bangkok! i'd rather live in his world than live without him in mine!" ayun o! asian version!

however, we realized that we would need an extra day for this. four days might not be enough. this means we have to rebook our flight and that is not an option.

to make things simple, we decided to just stay put in the resort for the entire 4 days. that's what you call planning like a hustler. pro na pro sa planning diba?

ps: 

i learned from a colleague that you would not really learn much about a country by staying in the sparkly confines of a beach resort. a good way to travel is by immersing to the "real" culture of the place you are visiting, and you cannot achieve this by visiting resorts and drinking coconut juice while dozing off in a hammock. 

he has a point and i like the idea. but not as much as i like beaches. hehehe. i told mike that for the next travel, we'll do mr. colleague's suggestion + visit a beach too. beach bum. 

excited!

seasons of love

last night, mike asked me to read the lyrics and listen to "seasons of love." found out that the song is from the musical "rent" and a cover was done by the cast of glee to pay tribute to cory monteith.

i am not a fan of glee. neither have i tried to watch an episode, but grief over a death and music are universal languages.

it's a beautiful song. the words are simple, yet they convey what probably is the most essential thing in life: measure a year in seasons of love!

my favorite lines:

"Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter and in strife
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, a year in the life?

 

How about love?"

seasons of love by the cast of glee

such a sad song

i am not sad today.  i am not in drama rama mode.  it's a bit weird how this song came into mind today while taking my shower.

who would have thought that the person behind this sad song is claire marlo?  yes, the girl who sang the popular song "till they take my heart away."

i remember listening to this song during college days.  i love love love this song.

intro pa lang, gusto ko nang bumaluktot sa kama at maglupasay.  pero bakit ko naman gagawin yun?  hahaha.  emotera!

"I've made my life fulfilling to take you off my mind
my head is always willing my heart is not that kind
I'm the one who left you
and you're the one who's fine without me

without me, how can you live without me?
my world is gone and you carry on without me"

so sad, isn't it?

without me by claire marlo

chopped

after years and years of having long, sometimes wavy, sometimes crazy straight hair, i thought that maybe it's time for a (pa) cool change!

2 saturdays ago, i entrusted my hair to uncle's hands. you could not expect me to go into one of those super expensive salons, so april and i just went to the sosyal na sosyal na pagupitan sa elias mowl! what's the difference, they'll just cut your hair! i don't need shampoo, i don't need a blow dry. thank you.

here's my new hair! pic taken during my di-op day with keyla :)

we are going to krabi!!!

after synchronizing our off days, mike and i decided to go to krabi for a holiday on the 28th to 31st of october! as usual, planning is late. hehehe. but this is a great leap - we already have plane tickets! i'm sure it would not be that difficult to scout for a resort.

some of the places we found: phi phi, lanta, ao nang. we'll do more research :)

i heard that palawan (or boracay even) is more beautiful than the thailand beaches. and i really, really want to support the tourism in the philippines, but i just want to see what's in there just to satisfy my curiosity. just to see what the buzz is all about. 

you know me, i'm a dead fish.  :p

excited! 

maybe it's time to let my 4/5-yr old swimsuit retire. bwahahaha!