Starbuck's Black Sesame Green Tea Frappucino

We were asked to pick our snack this afternoon and I settled for Starbucks' Black Sesame Green Tea Frappucino.... and I just died! Can't wait for my next grande!

What If | Letters to Juliet

I caught “Letters to Juliet” last month and thought of sharing a quote that moved me.  It was Sophie’s answer to Claire who had written to Juliet 50 years ago.  Here it goes:

Dear Claire,

‘What’ and ‘if’ two words as non threatening as words come. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: ‘What if?’…

I don’t know how your story ended. But I know that if what you felt then was love – true love – then it’s never too late. If it was true then why wouldn’t it be true now? You need only the courage to follow your heart…”

I don’t know what a love like that feels like… a love to leave loved ones for, a love to cross oceans for… but I’d like to believe if I ever felt it. I’d have the courage to seize it. I hope you had the courage to seize it, Claire. And if you didn’t,  I hope one day that you will.

Roasted Vegetables

The Mafia-gang's having a get together this coming Saturday and I am already planning what food to bring to our Italian-themed dinner. Definitely, I will be brining Ip-Ip's favorite grilled vegetables with Balsamic Vinegar dressing. I do not have an exact recipe for this but let me share how I do it.

Ingredients:

4 Eggplants

3 Zucchinis

2 Red Bell Peppers (large ones)

1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

freshly ground Black Pepper

1/2 teaspoon minced Garlic

Salt to taste

Directions:

Cut the eggplants and zucchinis into 1/5 inch slices while the eggplants into 3/4 inch wide strips.  Place on a stove top grill (or onto a charcoal grill) and roast them until cooked and grill marks appear. Mix the rest of the ingredients and shake in a bottle. Drizzle the dressing on top of the vegetables.

In search of Tintin

I was at the recently concluded Toy Con at the Megamall last Sunday in search of Tintin toy figures. I braved the stormy weather and the long line at the parking lot hoping to find some of these. And there were NONE! =(  Good thing my niece, being a Manga fanatic,  immensely enjoyed the exhibit- doing the rounds at the Manga stalls and posing with the life-sized Thor and some other super heroes. And oh, there were lots in Cosplay!

One Dance, One Song | Where the hell is Matt?

I love everything about this video.  The song is haunting, inspiring, uplifting.  I would love to do the Matt Harding dance around the world to deliver a message:  ONE song, ONE dance, ONE world.

The background music to this video is Praan (Stream of Life) composed by Gary Schyman and sung by Palbasha Siddique with lyrics adapted from a poem  Gitnajali by Rabindranath Tagore.  Here are the lyrics in Bengali:

Praan

Bhulbona ar shohojete
Shei praan e mon uthbe mete
Mrittu majhe dhaka ache
je ontohin praan

Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
Shei shurete jagbo ami
(Repeat 2X)

Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
dao more shei gaan

Shei jhor jeno shoi anonde
Chittobinar taare
Shotto-shundu dosh digonto
Nachao je jhonkare!

Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
Shei shurete jagbo ami
(Repeat 3X)

Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
Shei shurete jagbo ami

Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
dao more shei gaan

Stream of Life [English translation of Praan]

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth
and of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

Mt. Pinatubo - Death Trek

My friends and I have an agreement to do at least one special thing every year and we all decided to do the hard ones first before we end up doing the hot springs and shrine visit thingy.  So the first challenge- trek Mount Pinatubo.

We had planned this a couple of months before but was warned by JR that doing the trek during summer would “kill” us.  His tales of swimming in the lake and wearing a fleece jacket during the hike sort of mesmerized us.  We waited for the opportune time and December was just it.

Way before the trek, my friends, Noman, Pearlie, and I have been training for the major trek by doing the rounds at the U.P. academic oval,  Ortigas Center (actually  eating at Banchetto then walking towards Chateau 1771 Cafe for another bite) and at the Salcedo Market.  Hmmmm…. come to think of it, were we really training for the hike or just tasting all the food?

Our group did some serious planning on this one.  We had our “planning session” which was actually an excuse to eat and party!  We came up with our food list, gear list, etc., etc.  Okay guys, pan de sal, check!  Dry-fit shirts, check! Head gear, check! Drinks, check! Cameras, check! Sunblock, check!  And of course, our matching Keans hiking shoes, check!

On December 30th, we headed to the sleepy town of Capas Tarlac where the  jump off point is located.  We met our guides, picked our 4×4′s and headed for a 45 minute drive to the “point of no return.”  The weather was perfect, just as JR described it.  Bagiuo weather- just right for excited trekkers.

Only a kilometer into our trek we start asking our guide, “Kuya, malayo pa ba?”  The guide would only shake his head and smile every 20-30 minutes or so when we would ask the same question.  All the groups in the trek have overtaken us as we walked leisurely as if we were walking in the park.  A serious 2 hour walk for others was a 3.5 hour death-defying walk for us.  Oh!  But it was fun.  We could not wait to reach the top and see the fabled crater lake.

A funny thing happened along the way.  
Edith’s hiking shoes decided to quit just there and then!  With less than a third of the trek going up the mount, her shoes gave up. But lo and behold, JR,  our knight and shining armor had duct tape in his backpack!  Who would bring duct tape to a trek?  Maybe he brought tape in case he needed to silence us with our continuous whining all the way to the top?  JR just saved the day!

When we had finally reached the top, we were blown by the beauty of the magnificent crater lake. Who would think this volcano was a national nightmare in the early 90′s?  The sleeping giant volcano now revealed, so beautiful, so majestic and so serene….

I was already dead tired when we reached the top I did not have energy to go further down to the crater lake for a swim. With a hundred or so steps down (and back) I decided to stay at one of the sheds and took a nap.  The weather was just so cool, so perfect, I even put on my fleece jacket.  An hour and a half later, we all decided to leave.  I could have stayed  forever.  My legs were hurting like hell and simply did not want to move.  I just wanted to quit!  Another 3 hour trek and we were at the drop off point.  We were the last group out of the mountain.  Our drivers must have wondered what kept us so long.  We were all so tired.  I used a walking stick on the way back, I looked like Mama Moses!

Another 45 minute drive into the dark, dusty road until we finally reach the Capas stop.  My leg muscles were already stiff I had to slide myself out of the 4×4.  And my, was I thirsty!  And hungry too!

We had a 10,000 course meal served to us and we ate them all!  I was just soooo looking forward to a shower to rinse the eeky lahar off my hair.  We were told that hot water was not available.  What the heck!  I must have shampooed my hair three times.  Only on the third time did my shampoo bubble like shampoo!  Oh what a relief it was!  After that, we all headed to the van and fell asleep as the Davy and Ip’s (thanks!) driver piloted us to Manila.

My Mt. Pinatubo trek was an adventure of a lifetime.  I could not have made it without my friends cheering me on, laughing and giggling along the way.  It was also good that we went on a perfect time.  Otherwise, we could have missed its beauty as the water turns murky and gray as the rain comes. Yes, it was a worthwhile adventure.  Would I do it again?  Yes, only if the skyway is back.

Night out: Dotombori and Shinsaibashi

Before visiting Osaka with friends last fall, we made a to-do list and among the places to visit are Dotombori, to see the famous Glico man and the giant crab; and Shinsaibashi for night-time shopping.

With a map on hand, we first headed to Mido-suji to check out the autumn leaves. Mido-suji Street that runs the center of the Shinsaibashi is the main street of Osaka that links the downtown Kita (north) around Umeda and the downtown Minami (south) around the Shisaibashi and Namba districts. Unfortunately, autumn was a bit delayed, only a few leaves have started to turn yellow. Curiosity led us to the Louis Vuitton and Chanel shops and we headed to Tokyu Hands to looks for Ip’s bag.  We did not get the bag though but we ended up buying cute stationary and pens!

After Tokyu Hands, we crossed the street and our feet  instinctly brought us to the entrance of Shinsaibashi!  It was an amazing long street full of nice shops.  The Shinsaibashi is the largest shopping area in Osaka where many boutiques and specialty shops are gathered, attracting local people and visitors. The new Uniqlo building was just right at the entrance.  It was already cold so we did not mind walking and gazing at the store displays and dazzling lights.

We walked the entire Shinsaibashi Shopping Center until we finally reached Dotombori. Dotombori is an entertainment district along the southern bank of the Dotombori River. The slowly flowing Dotombori River at night reflects the neon lights, creating the largest city in western Japang a unique atmosphere.  This is where we finally meet the Glico Man, a giant electronic display of a runner crossing the finish line by Glico, one of Japan’s biggest candy / snack manufacturer.  A few steps further we found the Kani Doraku Crab, a six and a half meter crab in front of the crab restaurant with mechanized arms and eyestalks.

After finally seeing the two famous landmarks, we decided to have dinner at McDonald’s to try out the Cheese Fondue!  Too bad, most of the McDonald’s offerings in Japan are not available in the Philippines.

Our trip to Shinsaibashi and Dotombori was fun we decided to go back to following night with Edith!

I am a Dancing Queen

For ladies who love karaoke-ing, this is a must sing song.  When the first few notes are played, they stand up and grab the microphone.  I love the music- so 70′s young and carefree…..

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen

Night Out: Mambo Cabaret, Bangkok

During my first visit to Bangkok, I had wanted to watch a show in Patpong but turned back once we were walking in the area. Patpong is an entertainment district in Bangkok, Thailand known as a red light district at the heart of the city’s sex industry.  Go-go bars feature women dancing on stage.  Some establishments advertising massage are disguised as brothels and several have bars upstairs that feature sex shows. We decided not to go ahead as planned as we were becoming wary of flocks of locals luring us to watch the shows.  Scary.On my next trip to Bangkok, I got curious as I was leafing through the tour brochures at our hotel’s lobby.  As we were on our way to Ayutthaya, we asked our tour guide if he could take us to a Lady Boy show that night. We wanted to see some Katoeys.Thailand has a lot of Katoeys. In fact, one can see a Katoey in almost all of the places of the country. Thailand is a country where Katoeys are tolerated. Katoeys are transgenders. They are mostly men who had sex transplant surgeries. They may be men but they have the heart of a woman. That is why they preferred to be operated externally to become a woman.Our tour guide picked us up from the hotel lobby at around 8 p.m. and we headed towards Rama III to watch the Mambo Cabaret show. Picture taking was not allowed inside the theatre but everyone had their cameras ready while waiting for the show to 

begin!!I enjoyed the show.  In fact, there was one Lady Boy who I called “Kikay” who kept waving at me while on stage so come picture-taking time after the show, I had mine taken with her (for a BHT50 tip). For around BHT1,200, it was a truly an enjoyable experience!

Adobo

There are a thousand versions of Adodo.  At home, we already have at least 3 versions: Adobong moderno, Adobo without soy sauce and Adobo with leaf (named by my niece Peppe).
As Wikipedia describes it: Adobo is the name of a popular dish and cooking process in Philippine cuisine that involves meat or seafood marinated in a sauce of vinegar and garlic,  browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade.
Although it has a name taken from the Spanish, the cooking method is indigenous to the Philippines. When the Spaniards conquered the Philippines in the late 16th century and early 17th century, they encountered an indigenous cooking process which involved stewing with vinegar which they then referred to as adobo, which is the Spanish word for seasoning or marinade. Dishes prepared in this manner eventually came to be known by this name, with the original term for the dish now lost to history.While the adobo dish and cooking process in Filipino cuisine and the general description adobo in Spanish cuisine share similar characteristics, they refer to different things with different cultural roots. While the Philippine adobo dish can be considered adobo in the Spanish sense—a marinated dish—the Philippine usage is much more specific. Typically, pork or chicken, or a combination of both, is slowly cooked in vinegar, crushed garlic, bay leaf, black pepper, and soy sauce then often browned in the oven or pan-fried afterward to get the desirable crisped edges.
Peppe likes my version of Adobo so when she describes it to my mom, she would describe it as Adobo with leaf.  Here’s my version of Adobo:
1 kilo pork liempo ( a few pieces of chicken as desired)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tsps. crushed black pepper
3 T. minced garlic
1 T. salt
2 pcs. bay leaf
water
Directions:  Mix all ingredients and let marinate for at least half an hour.  Put meat in a hot kawali and let liquid evaporate. Let pork render its own fat and brown a little.  Add around 2 cups of water and simmer with a lid on until tender.

What's your birthday handa?

My mom sees to it that she prepares special dishes on our birthdays.  She would ask us days before our birthday what we would want to eat so she can prepare her menu and shopping list.

My brother, Dr Magoo Chicken, and I have favorite dishes that are simple and we would always ask mom to cook these for us even if we are not celebrating our birthdays at all. We call these favorite dishes “birthday handa.”  Do you want to know what’s on our “birthday handa” list?

My birthday handa:
pork with tofu and kinchay
pochero   
sans rival                                                                       

My brother's birthday handa:

mechado

pesang lapu-lapu

mole

chili con carne

Pancit Malabon

I was craving for a good Pancit Malabon one time so I decided to experiment on preparing one.  I researched on various recipes and tweaked  them a bit.  The finished product…. voila!

PANCIT MALABON INGREDIENTS

1 kilo fresh rice noodles (soaked for 10 minutes in water and drained)

For sauce

6 tbsp atchuete oil
6 cups shrimp juice
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste

For toppings

1 cup kintsay, sliced
1 cup pechay Baguio, sliced
1 cup chicharon, crushed
1 cup smoked tinapa, flaked
1 cup oysters, cooked
1 1/2 cup shrimps, cooked and peeled
1/2 kilo squid, sauteed in oil and garlic
1 cup pork, cooked and cubed
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 cup spring onions, chopped finely
4 tbsp fried garlic
4-6 pcs calamansi, sliced

PANCIT MALABON PROCEDURES

1. Dissolve 1 cup of flour in 1 cup of water. Set aside.
2. To make sauce: Heat atchuete oil in a pan. Sautèe garlic, then add shrimp juice. Allow to boil. Pour in water with dissolved flour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. Boil water in a wok or large saucepan. Fill a luglugan or bamboo strainer with noodles, pechay Baguio and kintsay.
4. Dip into the boiling water and drain. Put in a large bowl.
5. Add sauce, crushed chicharon, and tinapa flakes. Toss, then transfer to a plate.
6. Top with oysters, shrimps, squid, pork, egg slices, spring onions, and fried garlic. Serve with sliced calamansi.

Tako-yummy, Takoyaki

Takoyaki is a Japanese food which is basically a little bit of octopus (tako) cooked inside of a pancake-like flour based batter (but not sweet) and covered in katsuobushi (the dancing fish flakes) and aonori (seaweed), as well as takoyaki sauce.Takoyaki stalls can be found at food courts in Manila.  I like these balls I do not mind falling in line while they cook. The Manila version of Takoyaki 's sauce has

mayonnaise and mahu-like flakes on top. We hardly  bite into octopus bits!   So when we were booked for a trip to Osaka, one of our must try was Takoyaki- of course, especially that these precious octopus balls are Osaka street food stars.warned to wait 5 minutes before popping these into our mouth.The first genuine Takoyakis that I have tried were the ones sold at the Osaka Castle grounds.  Boy!  They were not cheap at 400-yen for 8 pieces!  But they were good- not too much veggies but instead lots of octopus chunks.  The sauce on top was very different from the Manila Takoyakis and there were covered with bonito flakes and seaweed.  Yummy! The second time we tried these yummy balls was when we were walking towards our hotel in Umeda from a night out in Dotombori. There was a singing Takoyaki-on-wheels vendor and a queue building up leading to his van.  He must be famous for people to queue up at night waiting for their turn to buy the balls.  We waited a while until it was our turn.  The guy cheerfully gave us samples.  Oh boy! His Takoyakis were the best we have tasted. For 400-yen for 8 balls plus a few samples, we were satisfied.  Ahhh!

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