Confections

Last weekend i redeemed my voucher for one of those yummy-looking (with good reviews) cupcakes which i found on the internet...I was really excited about trying them for the first time, more so since i got it at relatively half the original price! Sweet deal, huh?!

When we arrived home I couldn't wait to try them (even if it was already late, lol)...
But guess what? I was majorly (and majorly, LOL) disappointed. Why? because it wasn't as moist as i expected them to be (in fact, i think they tasted a bit dry)...and the toppings were just too sweet! ugh. Too too sweet for my taste. Think diabetic. LOL

Oh well. Maybe others love their cupcakes (taste preferences is a really personal thing), and maybe some of their creations are awesome. But for now I'll lay off them.  For a bit. :P

Have to admit, those cupcakes were really pretty as a picture!

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Food Friday

Fish in Coconut Milk...love this!

Nope, I didn't cook that but I helped...a bit. lol. I watched since I wanted to be able to cook this on my own.

First you prepare the ingredients:
coconut milk (2 extractions), fresh fish (we normally use barilis [blue-fin tuna, i think?] for this dish), pepper, salt, and chili.
*if you use the barilis, you have to twist and pull out -yes, PULL-out- the tails...not really sure why, but they said that there is something in the tail that might cause an allergic reaction...?) 

Next, place the cleaned and prepared fish in coconut milk (second extract), together with salt, pepper, and chili. Since we wanted the fish to be really soft, we kept it simmering in low heat for about an hour, or so. Then the thick coconut milk was added, and left to simmer for another five more minutes. You can add in more salt and pepper if you want, at this stage....after that, it's ready to serve!

Yummy with steamed rice... :)

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Weekend (in Cebu)

Was in Cebu last weekend with my family and we stayed overnight at a hotel. That's what we had for breakfast: tocino and bacon (both with plain rice, eggs and kropek {interesting, adding kropek...lol}.

We had barquiron for dessert. ;P

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Heavy and bloated Me!

After that more-than-a-month vacation at my parent's house, I feel like I'm bloated! Yes, there was too much eating going on while we were there. My parents are like that: they have this set of routines and one of them is that you must eat regularly and on time. Food there consists mostly of fish and veggies (my fave combo!) but am afraid it's not healthy anymore when you consume more than what you're supposed to. Yeah, hence why I feel bloated!

Exercise is a good thing...and hopefully I'll develop some firm muscles in certain areas (biceps and triceps; where else?! lol). I wonder if I'll achieve faster results if I use creatine products? I have heard from a friend that it worked wonders for her! Hmmmm. But, let's see. I need to do some exercising first! :D

Food Friday

One of the perks when you live near the sea is that you get fresh (and I mean really FRESH!) sea produce most of the time. So fresh that sometimes the shrimps, squids and the fishes are still alive when you buy them. :)

...and that was the case with the shrimps above. My sister immediately cleaned the writhing and jumping shrimps (just cut off their antennae and rostrum) and cooked them. Nothing fancy. First, she sauteed some onions and garlic in vegetable oil for a few minutes then added in the cleaned shrimps. When most of them turned reddish she added a bit of salted butter and waited for the rest of the shrimps to cook (which wasn't long). A few sprinkles of salt, and that was it!

Sweet and juicy...

To eat, we just remove the head and shells, then dip the succulent shelled shrimps in properly aged coconut vinegar (mixed with chili and crushed garlic). Perfect! :)

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And again...lol

Yup, changed template. couldn't resist. lol.

Shot was taken a few weeks ago, when we went on a spontaneous dip at a beach near my parent's place; that's my twelve-year old. Watching the mountains on the other side...which was made hazier because of the texture which i added (to the shot). lol.

Ice Cream...!

Even if it rains almost every afternoons lately, it is still pretty humid the whole day; we love getting our ice cream fix whenever we can. :)

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Love Love Love

My sons and I love him...we'll surely miss him when we go back home... :(

Nasty...

I know, getting an acne on our faces is bad enough, but could it get any worse if they show up on your backs, too? I consider myself one of the 'lucky ones' since I don't normally have them on my back, like a former classmate. She was so uncomfortable that one time she had to go to a clinic and get one of those back acne treatment. It wasn't an everyday thing, but still, it was pretty inconvenient.

One of the nasty stuffs us human beings have to endure, huh? I wonder if it goes away when one gets older... ;)

Heart

Lately I have noticed that my twelve-year old is becoming more interested in using the dslr. He took that picture above (i did some editing using picasa only), and it's so cute! He said that the shadow coupled with the metal seems to be shaped like a heart, and so he clicked the camera... :)

I think it's great that he shares our interest! I know that one of these days we'll be getting him his own dslr soon... ♥

From Reel to Real!

You know, ever since I can remember I have always been fascinated by all those geeky gadget stuffs you read/see both online and offline. I guess watching James Bond at such an early age (I had no idea why those girls were there, sometimes. lol) helped fuel that interest; my father's such a fan! Anyway, did you know that you can now control your own home (climate control, for one!) at your own convenience using one of those home automation software? Amazing, huh?! I mean, I only read (and watch) about such stuffs, but never knew that it was actually already available in 'real life'!

So so so cool! :D

Yeah...

edited using picasa only.... :)

Looking back...

Now that the rainy season is catching up on us, that means that the grasses will become greener, and of course, grow faster! lol. I remember when I used to have a garden, I had this 'lawn mower man' visit our house at least once a month just so he'd - of course - mow our lawn for us. Payment was cheap, then (just Php50.00 for the 200sq. m. lot). He used a home-made lawn mower that was ancient looking (not sleek and modern like one of those honda lawn mowers! lol), which was really noisy. But it did the job, so we endured the less-than-an-hour noise just so our garden would look pretty again.

I miss those days! :)

Happy yet Sad

We'll be going back home in a couple of days...somehow, it makes me feel sad and happy at the same time. Happy, because I will be home again (hehehe), but sad since that means it might be another year (or more) before I see my family again (specially my parents). *sniff*

I know, that's life. But am married now, and my priorities are way different compared to when I was just single.

Sigh.

Moving on....

I just wish...

A brother-in-law has been in the printing business for decades now (yes, seriously), but somehow his business seems to have stagnated. I think one of the main reasons is that he is a bit afraid to invest on other ways of printing, specially when it comes to buying expensive equipments. Being cautious is fine, but at this age and time, going digital and being aggressive with his printing methods could be vital. For starters, he may want to check out printdirectforless business card printing. I know that they used to print business cards a while back, when he and his brothers lived together.

Of course, where his business goes is entirely his decision. I just wish that it will prosper once again, like it did when he first handled it.... :)

Luis...

LUIS...taken three days after our arrival. His hair's longer now. lol.
...and in less than a week's time we'll be going back home.

Staying Well...

Nobody's getting any younger, and since most of us are vain (lol), most of us buy anti-aging and anti-wrinkle (like oxytokin) products! Hey, there's nothing wrong with that! In fact, it's great that we're all taking care of ourselves; aside from applying those concoctions, it's also best to develop an exercise regimen that works for you, as well as be mindful of what you put inside your mouth, too. It might sound hard for some, but believe me, you'll appreciate it in the long run. :)

Jellyfish and the Sea

A couple of weeks ago we went to the beach. It was my two-year old's first time and he got intimidated when the water reached his waist. I know, he shouldn't have been brought to 'deeper' waters immediately, but I couldn't do anything since I was left guarding our stuffs.

Anyway, we all had a fun time. We didn't want to go, but my father was itching to go home and there were more baby jellyfishes in the sea than we cared for...lol.

Another thing that i need to do...

Now that my youngest is already two-years old, I can't help but smile and remember those moments when he was just a tiny baby...specially the first time I got to hold him! I know, I should compile all those special thingies and moments in a personalized baby keepsake book, but somehow we just don't have the time to do that. For now, anyway. Things are still a bit hectic, specially now that hubby's going to be transferred to another location (my family and I decided to stay since our eldest is now on sixth grade -and that means he'll be graduating soon!) ...and classes will start next month.

...we're taking things one baby step at a time. :)

Today's Thoughts...

We visited the farm today...it's not much. Just a couple or so of hectares of rice. My family and I still enjoy visiting the farm except now my father can no longer go there on his own. It's a good thing (i think!) that my brother quit his bank job and now he is more active at the farm. Sure, his bank job might have given him a bigger paycheck, but the stress that he's getting isn't worth it. Better be alive, healthy, and with less money than almost-dead, disease-ridden, and with lots of money! LOL

Rainy Season's Here again...

I guess it's the start of the rainy season again, and that means more sniffles and coughs, too. Actually, my sons and I got the sniffles and coughs last month and they're both fine now. As for me, there's still an occasional cough, or two.

Since my youngest doesn't like taking his decongestant medicine, I have gotten creative: mixed it with his favorite chocolate drink. I know, it's not the newest trick in town, but it seemed to work for him. Though of course we also needed the help of those dehumidifiers, specially at night. Am so glad that both my sons are fine now. In fact, I have already returned my sister's dehumidifier since we were no longer using it! :)

Now I just have to take my vitamin C more often so that my cough will go away....

Blogger ...!!!

I never imagined blogger to be having major problems, but I guess I was wrong. lol. Well, i guess now i know better! It's just that it has been sooo long since I joined blogger and what happened a couple of days ago (actually, almost a week ago!) was more than the 'normal' maintenance thingy: I couldn't write on my post, but I could post a picture...and then later on during the week, I couldn't leave any comments! On top of that, when blogger did finally 'finish' it's maintenance thingy, the comments on my most recent post disappeared! My latest post went back to being a 'scheduled post', too. lol. Weird.

But anyway, i hope they've repaired whatever it is that needs repairing... :)

Hard Work

Honestly, I admire people who can bear hard labor, like the ones with construction jobs. I don't think I'd last long in such an environment (not because I don't like the mess, lol), since I'm pretty sure my muscles can't take all the work! lol. But of course, if there's no other choice, then I've got to do it! Nothing wrong with hard labor, except that's it's hard....physically. As long as it's an honest job and no one get's hurt, then am all for it! :)

Food Friday

Crabs in coconut milk...my mom's favorite. Only lemongrass and ginger were added to the thinned coconut milk (usually the second coconut milk extraction) then it was left alone till it starts to boil. Salt can also be added, or fish sauce. Once boiling, the crabs were immersed in the liquid and when the shells turned red the thick coconut milk (first liquid extraction) was added.  It's usually only a matter of minutes by then before it's ready to be served and eaten...

Oh, we usually use crabs from the sea (i think it's related to the Blue Crabs [Callinectes sapidus]) since my mom doesn't like the bigger and thicker shelled crabs from the rivers...blame it all on having grown up on an island facing the Pacific Ocean! lol. :D

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Popcorn!

Food Friday

I didn't make this cake, though I wish I can create something this gorgeous. lol.

Last month was my birth-month and hubby got me Mocha Choco Crumble from Red Ribbon. I have been bugging him to get me that cake for weeks! :)

Verdict? It was ok, but not to die for. :P

Now it's time for me to find another cake out there...and then bug hubby about it! LOL :D

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A texture and a Beach

Shot taken three days ago, (at 9:17:34AM)...yup, at the beach. Not one of those fancy-schmancy beach resorts, but an honest-to-goodness-yes-we-get-dirty-sometimes beach. lol.

Don't be fooled by the clouds. It wasn't there; i just added a texture. From my fave FB collection. :D

Dreaming again...

I think everyone needs one of those outdoor fire pits. Well, it's not a 'need'; more of like a 'want', really. lol. If you've got the space, then why not get one, right? It would be a wonderful area where you can all take a break (specially at night), drink your drink (coffee, tea, juice, or anything alcoholic, lol) and just relax. Having one of those fancy outdoor sets would be nice, too. Of course, for me the computer (with internet connection) and camera should also be nearby. Can't live without those 'necessary' stuffs! hehehe...

Ahhh, dreaming again. LOL

Lick!

I love this shot of my eldest son and my parent's dog!

We all love Whitey...no matter how long we've been gone he always remembers us and never growls at us like most 'native' dogs. :)

Dreaming...

Am lying on bed right now, while typing this. It is a bit humid already (and it's only 6:17AM!) and I just can't help but reminisce. Somewhere cold and windy. Like maybe Tagaytay or Baguio. Inside a log house with one of those traditional fireplaces, or maybe with something modern, like an electric fireplace inserts!

Of course, am only dreaming. LOL. I have never slept in a log house before, but would love to! Eat freshly baked bread, still warm, and lavish it with slices of butter...then watch the butter melt. Pair it off with some slices of bacon and fresh fruits. Then drink my tea.

Ugh, that's making me super hungry! lol.

Soft waves whisper

I like it during the mornings when the waves are not so rough...

There are less people on the beach, too.

Downside is that sometimes the trash left by the people [who used the beach the day before] is still there. lol.

Rare...

My parent's helper (who started working here for us when I was just in my elementary years) waters the plants almost everyday; and she doesn't use a metal hose but one made out of rubber. The hose has been with us for a good number of years, too. I guess they've partnered off real well. *chuckles*

Seriously, what I like about my parent's helper is that she is conscientious about her job and you don't need to tell her to do this and to do that; she knows. Sometimes, though, she asks us specially when it comes to cooking the viand. Everyone appreciates that.

I wish we can find a helper like her. But am not holding my breath. People like her are rare nowadays. After all the years she's been with us, we treat her like family now.

Church, at home

That's where we usually go when we attend Holy Mass when we're here at my parent's house. It's a nice enough church, but one that also has it's own share of 'controversies'. Nope, I didn't get married here; I chose another much smaller church. Around fifteen minutes ride away. I would love to visit that other church again while my kids and I are still vacationing here!

Hmmmm...i wonder.

My sister's friend "M"

Two days ago a friend of my sister visited us here at home; he was really nice and played with the kids (a six year old and a two year old, which can really be obnoxious at times, LOL). He was my older sister's former classmate and I must say, really almost like a walking encyclopedia. Specially when it comes to plants (but take note: he graduated and finished his Phd in Mathematics!). He used to work at the University of the Philippines, but he quit his job because he didn't like the politics that was going on...and now he's 'doing his own thing'. He's the youngest in his family, but he's all alone now.

A bit sad, their family story: he had a brother who was addicted to drugs but refused a heroin detox, his father had plenty of other children with other women, he had another brother who had a mental breakdown, and another brother died in a fire. Ugh.

I wouldn't want all that drama in my life, but I guess we can't all choose whatever we want, so we have to make do and adjust. Or else we'd go berserk!!!

Adjusting...

Still 5:29am here right now...and my two kids and I are already awake! Nope, nothing special today. I guess we just woke up earlier than the usual.

We're still 'adjusting'...we're still on our vacation. Here in my parent's house. Feels great to be back! :)


ps..interesting; just noticed a "LOCATION" portion here in the new post section. wil 'use' it. for now. lol.

Another one...

Does anybody out there have any idea how to remove pimples? Some say that you shouldn't prick it since it will leave craters on your face. Some put solutions on it and wait for it to dry up. While some do nothing at all! As for me, most of the time I do nothing. Am lazy like that. Mostly unconcerned, except when it hurts like crazy. Then that's the time that I lather it with all the solutions I could get my hands on! lol.

I just had one large pimple last week...good thing it's not that hideous anymore. :D

Canon

Just found out that hubby got the canon 60D. Am excited about it since I would love to play with the camera and it's swivel lcd. My first canon was the powershot S1 IS and I totally had a blast with it. I enjoyed the different angles which I can take with less effort, as well as the video features. Well, I seldom take video shots, but when the mood strikes....lol.

Right now I've got our canon 550D and it takes pretty decent shots. I guess it depends also on the lenses used. Right now I mostly use my 100mm macro lens and the 50mm. Would love to get the wide angle lens someday... :)

Someday.

Random Topic...

Gone are the days when the sales clerk will punch the prices on their cash registers, and hello POS systems! Of course, there will always be stores that will use the cash registers; just not your big supermarkets. I mean, imagine punching different numbers all day long on a cash register, with at least 50 items per customer (and there will be at least a hundred customer per day)! I don't think anyone would want that job! lol.

Honestly, I prefer stores that use the POS systems. I guess that means lesser human errors...and faster transactions. Still, if the store is small...and you won't be buying loads of stuffs, then the cash register and small talk is fine. :)

Nothing...

Nope, no picture for this post.

Hubby got me a new notebook computer (a Toshiba portege t210 slim; he said that my old DELL laptop was just too big to be lugging around, lol) and so my photos are in the 'old' computer at the moment. plus i need to install the canon utilities on this computer first before attaching the camera...and the disk is at home! lol.

Nope, am not complaining. Really. :D

Internet...

Do you go surfing online, trying to find the best answer to your question(s)? I know I do. Sometimes it could be something as random as a favorite quote, or maybe something like the best progesterone cream online. Having internet connection really is a blessing since not only I get to do researching online, but my son and hubby, too.

Of course, it's not free. Though I wish it would be...one of these days. I wonder if in the near future internet connection will be a right instead of a privilege. ;)

Oatmeal

Had this during the weekend...simply oatmeal with evaporated milk and a bit of muscovado sugar.

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