off to the mountains we went

mountains talaga?

dec 18 was tagaytay day with mike, ate yogi, and manang.

i've always fancied going to tagaytay. after a mere 2 hour drive, you'll find yourself in a cold, nature-y haven. it's like being in a different world! away from the pollution and heat! hello to pineapples and horses and flowers and suka!

fond memories of tagaytay:
- HS and LCG retreats. serene talaga ang place. makes you feel closer to God. at maaalala mo talaga lahat ng kasalanan mo :)))
- family day-outs. sabaw ng bulalo. sebo. we seldom went to tagaytay as a family, so the few times are really special.
- kabayo! once in my life, i experienced riding a horse. we did not bring overnight clothes. and decided. to. stay. for. the. night. with. no. extra clothes. just good company that's riche and liza :) single life and spontaneity at its finest!
- steep parking. no further kwento.
- people's park with mike and his parents and the new car! and how i was pestered with a million pimples and chaotic hair that's pleading for a rebond then.
- prior to our wedding, we went to tagaytay to meet fr. gerbert, the officiating priest. he wanted to meet us. it was touching how he made an effort to talk to us. he wanted inputs for the ceremony :)

pic 1: love it how you could drive with open windows. let the cool wind touch your face. have good conversation. look at the wonderful view, even if it's just grass and trees!

pic 2: at dahil malamig, perfect ang hot coffee! tambay sandali sa starbucks, marvelled at the taal view, kept our bodies warm, posing posing :)

pic 3: pink sisters. i think i've been there thrice. there's an area where you can write your petitions and leave your contact number. mike says they will contact you once they have read and prayed for your petition. nice :)

the places you could go to when you are at home. tagaytay is a perfect getaway. likewise, a perfect hideout. i realized i haven't tried riding a boat to go to the crater. some day i will :) sounds like fun!

ahngel and stan

dec 17, we attended the ma-chua wedding at sofitel, manila.

i've always called ahngel "little girl", which is inappropriate, because she's taller than me. she doesn't look like a little girl at all, but a pretty lady!

whatevs... she's still "little girl"... and the little girl finally found the happiness that's stan. i'm glad :)

i think everybody deserves to be happy. you just have to find that happiness, decide that you will be happy, work hard for your happiness, decide to remain happy for the rest of your life, and the rest will just be like magic. easy. not. but it's all up to you. :)

i was excited to see ahngel and stan in the most wonderful day of their lives (i know this because our wedding was the most wonderful day of our lives, so says mike [and so i say too])! i was also excited because it was my first time to witness a christian, garden, chinese wedding :)

well, it was supposed to be a garden / bay side wedding, but mother nature had other plans. the set-up was so pretty outside! they had to decide last minute to move the ceremony inside the hotel because of the "mild" downpour. labo. downpour nga e. i almost thought na sayang ang set-up and overall impact ng garden wedding, but the ceremony inside was just as lovely! what mattered most was the serenity (na incidentally hinarana ng serenata. gets?) and intimacy of the event. marami kaming napulot na good points from the pastor. at walang papantay. walang papantay sa kaligayahan nina ahngel and stan that night.

maraming chinese. medyo op hehehe kami lang ang maitim :))) (but it's not about me, fine).

the reception area was lovely. festive, elegant, chochal na chochal. the food was great! the program was very simple and short and sweet. it's a usual, yet unusual wedding.

pastor said:

* it's ok to have a 3rd party in a marriage as long as the 3rd party is God.

* don't compete, compare, complain.

* be playful. don't need details for that.

congrats to the wonderful couple! :)

mani pedi

mani pedi is such a luxury here. that's what i think. they don't even get down to the pesteng ingrown nails. but i have to commend that the foot scrubs are great and the nail color lasts for quite some time. tools are also sanitary.

i had mani pedi in manila last dec. the price is crazy 150 lang, teh! nakakaaliw! ang galing pa sobra ni ate magtanggal ng ingrown :) no pain!

the cheapest i found was a home service mani pedi at php 50 in aklan! grabe!

God never fails

"have i ever failed you?"

so says the voice inside my head.

i have always been afraid of tomorrow.
i have always worried.
i have always feared.
if i could only have that tiny drop of faith and trust...
that each day will be beautiful.
it may not be cozy all the time,
but my God will be here,
because He is faithful that way.
why can't i be?

"in God we trust"

so says the sign on a cityland tower in makati.
even an inanimate building has something like this etched on it.
why can't i have it too?



NO. YOU HAVE NEVER FAILED ME, FATHER. THANK YOU.

#foodtripmanila - balikbayan staples

sinong balikbayan ang hindi natatakam sa mga fast food / restaurants na 'to? susme!

max's 

nothing beats max's chicken. a friend shared the recipe for max's chicken.  we tried it... pwede, pero di sing sarap ng manok ni mang max. hehehe. caramel bars, to die for din! we ate at max's on our way to manila from tarlac last dec 26. sa highway :p

mcdo

walang burger mcdo sa sg, but i never got the chance to order burger mcdo in manila.  we "settled" for their breakfast meals last jan 1.  hamdesal egg was good :) perfect for the christmas mood. 

kfc

iba ang alat ng manok at gravy dito sa sg at sa manila. syempre mas maalat at mas masarap ang manila version. at ang pinakapatok: ang kanin! walang kanin dito sa kfc sg :p hello?! kelan kaya nila marealize na bagay yun sa kanin? :)  pic taken last dec 16 along ayala avenue.

goldilocks

combo meals and makukulay na juice and chocolate decadence cake. i wanted to get dinuguan, but we had dinuguan overdose in tarlac. redundant naman diba, kung order pa ng dinuguan?  this was taken last dec 23 in sm south mall.

sbarro 

a few months ago, there was news that sbarro filed for bankruptcy.  nag panic si kuya dahil favorite nya ito.  magandang balita namang hindi nagsara ang mga store sa manila.  in fact, nasa food courts pa nga sya ngayon. servings were reduced to almost half, though. pero masarap pa rin naman. (bonus: potato corner fries).  pic taken last dec 26 in cash & carry.

jollibee

no documentation needed.  except: jollibee deserves 2 visits... and also, happy v is the closest that we could get to jollibee. 

home

dec 16 - i went with wawin to visit our "home" in paranaque. it was a fun ride at the bus and jeep. more of pollution and dust and traffic frenzy. :p we got there eventually, and i was shocked.

the once cozy home is now rented out to bed spacers, 6 ladies (i think). they are occupying 3 of 4 bedrooms, plus access to the dining room, kitchen, and half of the living room.

the house is a mess. it wasn't a richy rich, martha stewart house before, but it's just in a complete disarray now. the floor is dirty, the sink is beyond words. there are plastic bags hooked everywhere. i don't know what's inside those bags.

i lived there for 27 years. i grew up and grew old in that house. that house was a silent witness to new life on 1980 when i was born, and again on 1986 when wawin was born. it was also a witness to sadness on the death of lola, papa, and lolo. the walls practically heard and absorbed all our laughters and tears. the house met a lot of characters from friendships and past relationships. it survived numerous attacks of earthquake, storm, flood. if it survived the mighty ones, then it's a mighty one!

i once believed that we had a big and pangmayamang house until i visited my HS classmates' houses :p it was a pangmahirap house pala mwehehe. still, it was our home!

i didn't try to take pictures. i didn't have the heart to have that remembrance.

the other half of the living room is now wawin's comp shop. pic below.

we also visited the Sto. Nino chapel. pic below. at least, it's still the same serene chapel :) still feels right. incidentally, it was the feast of Sto. Nino last sunday. mami was in pque for the fiesta. she said she felt sad when she heard mass, remembering times when we were still complete, hearing mass and spending time together at home.

memories!!!!

#foodtripmanila - sari-saring ulam at crazy appetite

still at wawin's place in makati, there's this eatery called crazy appetite. it's basically a clean turo-turo with nice tables, chairs, and lamps.

they showcase the dishes on nice serving platters too. on pic: corned beef, liver steak, and beef something. again, food is tasty, variety is good too, but i wish wawin would not eat here (read: out) on a daily basis.

#foodtripmanila - cheese burger pizza bar from mini stop

when i stayed at makati for 2 nights, wawin recommended this pizza bar from mini stop for breakfast. this is just one of the instant meals you could get from mini stop.

i say it's very tasty. wawin has become an expert of instant-meals-scouting. hmmm... that's not a good news, though.

i learned that there are also canned meals available in groceries, and by meals they mean rice and ulam - in a can! sounds like kaning-pig? hehe.

whatever happened to meals lovingly prepared by moms or lolas?

anyway, here's the wrapper. jejejeje.

#foodtripmanila - burger machine roast beef and sans rival

when we were kids, we would have BM for merienda. papa would always have roast beef and the kids would have bart burger.

i marvelled at how the BM lady would prepare (read: reheat) the roast beef in that tin container on the stove. it looked so yummy. i never asked papa if i could taste the roast beef because all the while, i thought that roast beef burgers are for papas, and not for kids.

i'm not saying that bart burgers are not yummy! in fact, it's a shame they stopped selling this burger! it was the 2nd thing i looked for when we were in that dimly lit BM stall last december. first choice was roast beef!

i heard that BM has just recently put back roast beef into their menu, and it's all good! it was juicy and beefy and delicious.

the sans rival, well, came from the ref. that ref that contains everything they need to operate a BM stall. so buttery, semi-crunchy, not too sweet, so good!

ps: i'm a lousy food critic because every stuff that's edible just tastes good to me. :)

#foodtripmanila

we were in manila for the december holidays. i took some shots of food that we missed and tagged them as #foodtripmanila in twitter. it was fun! i was never the artistic photographer type. the goal is just to document the yum and the gum (huh).

so here they are, in all their majesty. the following posts will document the food feast. :)

mainit ang dugo

ca. 1989, we were in baguio with some family friends - papa's friends and their kids. i think there were 4 kids: me, kuya, alvin, and mark.

the slumber during the first night was peaceful. when we woke up, i was covered with insect bites. from. head. to. toe.

alvin was the annoying type. he looked at me, laughed, and said, "yuck may bulutong!"

i remember the evil grin. i remember holding back the tears with all my might while picking up pine cones (that we wanted to bring home to manila. pine cones are cool!).

i don't know what i have in my blood that attracts mosquitoes and other insects that bite. sometimes i don't even see insects, and yet i get bites! why?

it would just be me. all the time. when we were in manila last christmas, it happened again. we slept in mike's room and i got these bites on my legs, tummy, neck. though it wasn't as bad as the bulutong incident, it was still bad and so itchy. plus it comes with the pesteng peklats.

my cousin says i have warm blood. fine. mosquitoes, come and get me!

year 1

a year has passed.

we have experienced a lot this year.

we are continuously learning each day.

we aim to continue to love, accept, and piss off each other :p

we are thankful for the bountiful meals that we have eah day.

we are thankful for the fruitful talks, and sometimes, the absence of it.

a lot of things are uncertain. unstable. one thing remains constant - we are here to stay, and, as mama says, to always have each other.

portraits and gifts :)

for these and more

- for the delicious pochero that filled my tummy tonight. the warm soup seemed to have the power to heal me from the inside. replenishing.

- for the steady job that provides for us. we may not have all the luxuries in the world, but in these trying times, as long as we do not get hungry, we are in a better state.

- for the little girl who drives us crazy. she may be learning new things each day, but it's more for my benefit when i watch her learn. for the priceless hugs and kisses that magically melt the worries away. so powerful.

- for the husband and wife that alternately become sponges. a sponge that absorbs tears, anger, frustrations, happiness, craziness, worries, fears, and everything else that's unimaginable. for us who vowed to make it through the good times and bad times.

- for my mother's loving voice. in life's most terrifying moments, all you really need is to hear that magical voice. it's like having warm milk.

- for the warm showers that don't make me jump, because i'm ginawin that way.

- for the tiptop health (so far). no medication, life support needed.

FOR THESE AND MORE, I THANK YOU, FATHER!

gardener

nakakaaliw ang panlasangpinoy.com. i'd spend saturday mornings just browsing through their youtube videos. parang ang dali dali lang magluto! i love how they demo even the most complicated recipes in less than 10 minutes. not a drag!

i saw this hardinera recipe and tried it out last, last week. it's something new. the name is catchy too :) it's like embutido / morcon / afritada in a lyanera... or in a garden jejeje.

the recipe calls for pork cubes. i used ground pork instead to lessen the cooking time. it also calls for a can of liver spread, but i used some ground fresh liver instead. we don't have the almighty reno in this corner of the universe, it's a luxury (aka bawal). i just popped a big capsicum in the oven as a substitue for canned roasted sweet peppers.



pics:

UL: assembling the sliced hard boiled eggs, capsicum, and raw eggs at the bottom of the lyanera.

UR: mixing the pre-cooked ground pork with all the other tidbits: raisins, bread crumbs, pineapple, hotdogs, cheese, pickles.

LL: dumping 'em all in the lyanera, then steam galore!

LR: as usual, no pic of the finished product. pwede na ang picture ng pangalan ng recipe :p

what didn't go too well:
* the absence of the liver spread. bitin sa linamnam.
* i may have used a bit too much bread crumbs. i could taste some bread in there!
* medyo bitin ata ang raw eggs ko as binder. it came out a bit loose when sliced.

but it's all good. kakaiba sa panlasa at pananaw :)

overheard

guy 1: you're rude!

guy 2: f#*@! you tell the truth and it's rude?!

muni-muni

- you can't go wrong with being too much appreciative.

- a little thanks will also do.

- no matter how angry you get, contain it. there are creative and unhurtful ways of releasing.

- yes, you can quit, and you can quit now.

- when you cough, it's great to have a hagod on your back.

- when there's an opportunity, grab it. you don't get it everyday.

- you are not building a sari-sari store. don't hoard.

- share.

- if it's for your own good, you can't be mad (sometimes).

- sometimes "don't settle" just won't work. you really have to settle, and it's just so sad.

- it's disgusting to dahak in public.

sweet treats

some 15 years ago, mami and i marvelled at watching heny sison bake on tv. she did it all in a breeze - mixing, folding, decorating, ikaw na ang magaling! :)) i just wanted to watch her then. i never thought that i would try baking!



last year, april convinced kuya that we need an oven and an electric mixer. april and i have had an on and off relationship with baking. sometimes tsamba, sometimes it's just a plain disaster. there was a meringue that looked like slime, there was a sponge cake that had lumps of uncooked flour even after baking, there was mamon that tasted like egg whites. so weird! :))



i learned that baked goodies are so bad for you - with all that eggs, flour, butter, sugar. sugar is crazy! sugar is bad, all those ingredients are bad. it would be good if there were healthier substitutes/options simply because i feel good doing it :)



i learned that it's very difficult to substitute ingredients because using the wrong ones will affect the outcome big time, and that's in a bad way. unlike with cooking, you could always use any handy ingredient in your cupboard in the absence of hard-to-find (read: expensive) ingredients.



i learned that it's hard to estimate when you are a newbie. when it calls for 1 cup, it can't be 1.20! and when it calls for sifting, it means YOU HAVE TO SIFT. hindi pwede ang pwede na! :)) hindi pwede ang tamad!



and i still stand by my belief that as long as you can read, you can cook, and you can even bake! it's fun! here are some of my attempts:







upper left: banana chocolate cupcakes, recipe taken from home cooking rocks. please excuse the holes on the cupcakes. i used, ehem, chopsticks instead of toothpicks. we don't keep toothpicks in the house :p



upper right: revel bars (but in cupcake form), recipe taken from somewhere in the internet (can't remember where). it was a wish from mike. he said his, ehem, ex made the best revel bars during HS. revel bars are made of oatmeal-soft-batch-cookie-like stuff. there's a chocolate coating on the top. i like that it's like an energy bar (with all that sugar, who won't be energized?)



lower right: basic vanilla cupcakes, recipe taken from "bake, sell, give" magazine. it tastes a bit like mamon :) kulang na lang ay frosting, which leads me to...



lower left: an imbento recipe for icing that looked like neon pink paint. so annoying! :)) it was sent staight to the bin. sayang!



looking forward to more sweetness in life. ang sweeeeeet namaaaaan!

wiwi

i had a dream last night... well, make that this early morning. papa and mami were there. we were taking mami to a job interview. somewhere along the way, we had a pit stop (read: wiwi stop) at a posh building. i saw a vacant cubicle, but there was a suspicious looking plastic bag on the floor. so i thought it wouldn't be safe to use this cubicle for wiwi purposes... but i really, really had to go...

then i woke up. poof! and felt the urgency to go to the toilet to wiwi. thank God! i could just imagine what could have happened if i didn't wake up and i made wiwi in my dreams. nasty!

it was 1987. i was in grade 1. my teacher was mrs. dela cruz. i don't know what issues she had back then. when you need to go to the toilet, you'd say, "ms, may i go out?" to which she'll reply with a stern face, "no."

the toilet was just adjacent to our classroom. it was old and smelly. it had 3 cubicles. i can't recall if there was flush but there certainly was running water on the faucet, which was a relief, but still it stunk big time. or was there just a big, blue drum of water that collected water and kiti-kiti? can't recall.

sometimes she'd say yes if you asked if you could go, but on that particular sunny day, she said no quite a lot... and i really, really had to go... and i had no choice but to go back to my seat and hold back like forever.

the unavoidable happened eventually. you see you could only hold back for so long :-S "pssssssssssss," so said my wiwi trickling through my chair and on the floor :-S it was 1987. i was in grade 1.

ang bigo at ang wagi

last night, mike requested for pancakes for saturday breakfast. "kaya lang wala na tayong pancake mix," he said.

i told him that my lola used to make pancakes from scratch, and that i can do it too! all i have to do is look for a recipe online. the internet will never fail you.

i found this: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/good-old-fashioned-pancakes/detail.aspx

it looked promising and super easy. however, i thought it would be wise to use just half of the measurements since it's just for us 2. everything was doing fine with the half-half until i came to the egg. ok, no sweat, i'll try my best to divide a beaten egg into 2.

kwengkwengkweng... it was hard! i ended up using the whole egg. the pancakes somehow ended up looking like a crepe and tasting like a salty crepe. creep!

anyway, i think i could still pull this off. there are still 4 slices of ham and maybe it will taste pwede-na with the crepe a la pancake.

when i started frying the ham, it smelled panis! haha weird how ham could smell that way. ok, that's it. i told mike that we should go to mcdo for breakfast instead.

here's the bigo breakfast meal:



and here's the wagi breakfast meal:



what more could you ask for? :)

vetsin frenzy

it's a mike-and-me time for two weeks. kuya, april, keyla, and tita are in manila. the house seems so empty without the little girl laughing and shrieking and running around. we thought it would be super sad, but i think it's not that bad. we miss keyla terribly though.

well, it's always dinner for two! last night, we decided to go to chinatown for a dinner out. maiba lang :) we saw some hawker type stalls and we chose this stall that sold local delights. we got the seafood fried rice (that was good for around 4 people - geez), deep fried squid, baby kailan, and chicken/pork satay.



chicken/pork satay was good, it tasted a bit like our pork bbq, but with less flavor. what made it special was the peanut sauce. it's like peanut butter dip! delicious! there was also the rice-like-puto-like stuff that you eat with it. i'm not too fond of it.

the seafood fried rice was super yummy. however, we found a good dose of vetsin at the edge of the plate. it wasn't mixed too well. so that's why it tastes so good! kanin pa lang, ulam na :)

squid was also good! it's crispy and tasted like, well, squid!

the baby kailan also didn't fail. buttery and oyster-saucy and garlicy.

all good!



after dinner, we did a little stroll. i bought a skirt for 10sgd. it was a good date night :)