Weekend Foodfest: Korean Chicken

We're touring the world, one dish at a time. I told my mom that we could go Persian next weekend. There's this Persian cat that i saw...she left before I could finish my proposal.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Sister went to Manila this morning. She'll be on her way back to Dubai tomorrow.

I'll miss you but I salute you, sis. I salute you for having the courage to fly away from the nest to find your own niche in this world.

To you, I raise my margarita glass.

Saluti!

To cap the weekend foodfest, we strayed away from Asia and turned to one of the oldest and best wine houses in the world, Asti Cinzano. Sis kinda ransacked pop's liquor stash in search for some toddy. She was grinning like a cheshire cat when she emerged from pop's room, triumphantly clutching a bottle of Asti Cinzano Spumante. Saluti!

Weekend Foodfest: The Chinese Connection

Bring out the chopsticks! We did Indian, we had Filipino, and the last cuisine served last Sunday was Chinese. Mom made some Bam-i, stir fried egg and glass noodles with veggies and meat toppings, and shrimp and pork SIOMAI!

Spaced Out

One of the reasons why I'm so proud of my boys...

After taking home his school project on the Solar System, Enzo decided to educate Tami on the universe and beyond. Enzo has the makings of a good trainer. Kanino kaya nagmana? :-)

Weekend Food Fest

Vos V brought some spices when he came back from India. I've been meaning to cook some Indian inspired dishes but it was only yesterday that I had the chance to use the spices.

I've never cooked masala before. Beef shawarma, yes. curry, a lot of times. This was my first time, though, to try my hand at cooking chicken masala.

Masala, according to Vos V means "mixed" in Indian. It is a mixture of various spices such as cumin, pepper, ginger powder, garlic powder, capsicum, etc. etc. The result is an amazing blend with an interesting depth of flavor...chilli, earthy, yummy.

I always thought that Indian cooking is complicated. I was happily proven wrong. It was rather easy putting together the chicken masala and I really enjoyed cooking it.

I served it with rice fried in onions, cumin, chilli powder, carrots, and salt and pepper. It was really good. If I say so myself. :-)

To cleanse the palate and to temper the hot, hot, chilli taste, we had some store-bought mango-flavored yoghurt. Yum!

The next day, Sunday, was Fathers' Day. Instead of having lunch out, as what we have initially planned to do, Sis and I went to Bob Marlin to buy and take home some yummy-yummy food. Eating lunch at home proved to be a wise decision since while I was driving along Magsaysay Avenue (where most of the good restos in Naga City are), we noticed that all restos were full and bursting at the seams with people.

Bob Marlin has been one of my family's favorite restaurants. This is where we bring almost all, if not all of our balikbayan friends and family. Serving really tasty native food at very reasonable prices, it is a must for non-Bikolanos and Bikolanos who left Naga and don't get to eat much native food anymore.

Aside from being rendered speechless by the food, my Super Vos, Director J, is fascinated by the restaurant's name: Bob Marlin.

It is not the marlin (grilled or fried), though, that is the main star here. It is the super juicy and super tender yet super CRISPY PATA served with a slightly sweet soy dipping sauce. This has got to be the bestest crispy pata in the world! I've yet to try crsipy pata that is as good or better than the one at Bob Marlin's.

Other must-tries are the Grilled Squid served with Teriyaki Sauce, Grilled or fried tuna or blue marlin, crispy Pork Sisig and crunchy Fried Knuckles.

So far, Bob Marlin has never failed in providing native comfort food. :-)

HAPPY FATHERS' DAY!!!

One of the yummiest, richest, chocolatiest cake I've ever tasted...we got this for Pops for Fathers' Day.

Pure heaven in every bite! Thanks to our neighborhood lady baker. :-)

Cam Sur Recruitment Team Lunch Out

It's been a while since we went out as a team. Vossing went to India for 3 weeks and when he came back, Dyehri went on a tour of duty in Clark for a month.

We've been planning to go out even before Dyehri went back but due to our "hectic" schedules, there didn't seem to be any right time to do that. Early today, Vos annpunced that by george, we were gonna have lunch together...TODAY.

It almost didn't happen again, actually. since Vos had a meeting at 2PM we decided to go out at 3PM. At the last minute though, the meeting was moved to 3PM. Then there was a sudden surge of applicants. Naku naman.

As pantawid gutom, we munched on some empanada, hot and spicy Sugo peanuts and Dyehri bought some Mr. Chips (Dyehri pronounces this with a \k\ sound).

At last, at 4PM, Vos' meeting was over and we trooped to the nearest pizza place.

It was great bonding with the team again. Trading jokes, light friendly, banter. Oh, wait, we do that all the time! haha. Anyhow, it was great having the team back together again. cue in senti music.

Rock on, Team Cam Sur. Here's to another fruitful year!!!

I Love Balls!

Fishballs. Squidballs. Quekiam balls. Orlian balls. Tokneneng. Pero sabi ni Jerome, masarap din raw ang mahaba. Quekiam. Orlian. Etc.

Come South, Cam Sur!

Ateneo de Naga University Chapel

Pathway to the Statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola

Camarines Sur Wakeboarding Complex

Apparently, when she woke up last Saturday, my sister decided she wanted to go to CWC. I was on my way downstairs for breakfast and I peeked into her room. "Let's go to CWC," she mumbled. Since I didn't have anyhting planned for the weekend and since I am in dire need of a life, I told her it was a good idea.

Over lunch we tried to recruit people to go with us. The kids, of course, were ecstatic. Bro J had to go to work, though. Mom and Pop had other commitments as well. So it was just Sis, the kiddos and I who were available.

We packed some food (chocolates and water --- it was my sis who took care of this) extra shirts, wipes, sanitizer (Influenza A, begone!) cameras, shades, and whatnots. We then drove to Pili, Cam Sur! Okay, I drove and they heckled and critiqued my driving style, like they usually do.

First stop was at the SGS site, which is within the Provincial Capitol Complex and very near CWC. I gave sis a quick tour. We didn't stay long since most of the associates have gone home for the day. The site, during the day is usually boooooring.

Next, we moved on to CWC! Yay! The crowd was surprisingly sparse, which suited me just fine since I don't like large crowds anyways. Since it was already 11:30 am when we got there, we decided to order lunch.

I tried to convince sis to share with me the Laing Pizza (I've heard people rave about this and wanted to try it myself) but unfortunately, she wasn't in the mood to try something different. Instead, we decided to have the Sausage Pizza instead. Along with that, we had fries (we always order fries whenever we eat out since this is Tami's fave) and the Tantrum Chicken Fingers (breaded strips of chicken breasts served with honey-dijon mustard dip and a side dish of potato salad. Since it was a veeeeery hot day, we washed the food down with large Mango Shakes. ***I'll upload the rest of the pics soon! :-)

I have no idea why they decided to call the chicken dish "Tantrum Chicken Fingers." I sure didn't throw a tantrum when it was served. The taste wasn't really spectacular and tantrum-inducing. It wasn't bad either. It tasted like, errrr, chicken. :-p The fries were okay but the pizza was really yummy! The dough was freshly made, the sausages were juicy and firm but not rubbery. It was all good! :-)

We left a bit after lunch and after taking a gazillion pics (camwhores!). Since we couldn't decide where to go next, we decided to visit Super Lolo and Super Lola in the cemetery. It's been a while since we went there so it was just right that we stopped by for a visit. We tried to look for numbers (lottery!) but couldn't find any apart from the dates on their tombmarkers.

Sis called Uncah Jay to inform him that we were gonna go to Ateneo to pick him up. So after we left the cemetary, we drove on to the Ateneo. We went around, but left after 30 minutes since the sweltering heat became really unbearable.

 

At 4Pm, we were home. Tired, sleepy and gearing up for our next adventure.

Sleepy Rambling

I fell asleep on the living room couch. I don't usually sleep in the afternoons. I hardly sleep even at night. Today, though, I dozed off without meaning too. One minute, I was reading a book by Haruki Murakami, the next, I was fast asleep.

It was a deep, dreamless sleep. For how long I slept, I had no idea. It was starting to get dark when I awoke. That's all I know.

June 12 Job Fair, Legaspi City

It is so sad to note that apparently, there are a lot of jobless people in the Albay and Sorsogon area. We participated in the DOLE-sponsored Independence Day Job Fair and was surprised at the long line of jobseekers outside the Albay Astrodome.

We travelled all the way from Naga City and arrived at the venue expecting a huge turnout. We didn't expect it to be this huge! According to the secretariat, at least 7,000 people registered that day!!! whew!

More employment opportunities for the Bicolanos, please!

Here's to Salvador

Happy birthday, Lolo Tatay!

Today marks his 85th birthday. Here's to one of the few people I know who died with their integrity and dignity still intact and their name, untainted.

I wish I could be half the man you were...even if I'm a woman.

World-Weary Thoughts

It occurred to me just now that it is already June. My mindset is still stuck in the first quarter of this year. Whether you're having fun or not, time does fly so fast. I can't believe it's mid-year already.

Looking back, so much has happened these past months. Yet, I feel like nothing really significant is happening. I just might be suffering from a mild-case of ennui. I sort of panicked when the frightening thought that this might be mid-life crisis crossed my mind. I had to remind myself that I am too young to go through mid-life crisis. Naman. :-p I hope that this, whatever this is, like all things, shall pass.

I hope the next 6 months will be better. Soon, I'll be turning...oh, shoot, I honestly forgot! After I turned 25, I stopped counting. So whenever people ask me how old I am, I just shout a random number like 18! 42! 34.5! Square root of the absolute value of 647! Sometimes, when caught off-guard and unable to shout a random number, I ask them back: Chronological? Psychological? Intellectual? Would you like some fries with that? That usually causes them to tilt their head at a 45 degree angle and walk away. Sometimes, I really need to give the real deal so I have to do a quick computation. Being mathematically challenged, "a quick computation" takes on a whole new definition. After about 2 hours (depending on the position of the planets), the person asking finally gives up and leaves me sorting out my subtrahends, minuends and difference.

Incidentally, I recently saw a strand of silver (gray doesn't have that much oomph) hair o my temple. I was brushing my hair a couple of weeks back and saw something shiny. I usually get attracted and distracted by anything bright and shiny :-) so I took a closer look. Lo and behold, my very first strand of silver (gray doesn't have that much oomph) hair!

Unlike some folks who don't like growing any silver (gray doesn't have that much oomph) hair, I am actually fascinated by it. I like looking at my silver (gray doesn't have that much oomph) hair. I would like to believe that finding even just one strand of silver (gray doesn't have that much oomph) hair is a sign of maturity. Those who dare contradict will be condemned to suffer eternal damnation.

I look forward to growing more silver (gray doesn't have that much oomph) hair. That will make it easier for me to dye my hair in any shade I want! :-) Or, I could just leave it as it is and allow it to grow and multiply and eventually, I'll look like Storm. Or Typhoon Milenyo.

*sigh* I'll find my bearings again, eventually. In the meantime, I'll find something bright and shiny to amuse myself.

Happy Birthday, Uncah Jay

The timeless Concorde Cake from Baker's Plaza.

Maki-Maki

One platoon of kani maki. I've been craving for this since Sunday. Tonight, nothing and no one hindered me from making these. Yum-mee.

Shaumbra

This was sent to me by a colleague through email. I found it to be very interesting and thought of sharing it with you.

"Twelve Signs of Your Awakening Divinity"

“Shaumbra” means
Family and Deep Inner Friendship

By Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias

1. Body aches and pains, especially in the neck, shoulder and back. This is the result of intense changes at your DNA level as the "Christ seed" awakens within. This too shall pass.

2. Feeling of deep inner sadness for no apparent reason. You are releasing your past (this lifetime and others) and this causes the feeling of sadness. This is similar to the experience of moving from a house where you lived in for many, many years into a new house. As much as you want to move into the new house, there is a sadness of leaving behind the memories, energy and experiences of the old house. This too shall pass.

3. Crying for no apparent reason. Similar to #2 above. It's good and healthy to let the tears flow. It helps to release the old energy within. This too shall pass.

4. Sudden change in job or career. A very common symptom. As you change, things around you will change as well. Don't worry about finding the "perfect" job or career right now. This too shall pass. You're in transition and you may make several job changes before you settle into one that fits your passion.

5. Withdrawal from family relationships. You are connected to your biological family via old karma. When you get off the karmic cycle, the bonds of the old relationships are released. It will appear as though you are drifting away from your family and friends. This too shall pass. After a period of time, you may develop a new relationship with them if it is appropriate. However, the relationship will be based in the new energy without the karmic attachments.

6. Unusual sleep patterns. It's likely that you'll awaken many nights between 2:00 and 4:00 AM. There's a lot of work going on within you, and it often causes you to wake up for a "breather." Not to worry. If you can't go back to sleep, get up and do something rather than lay in bed and worry about humanly things. This too shall pass.

7. Intense dreams. These might include war and battle dreams, chase dreams or monster dreams. You are literally releasing the old energy within, and these energies of the past are often symbolized as wars, running to escape and boogiemen. This too shall pass.

8. Physical disorientation. At times you'll feel very ungrounded. You'll be "spatially challenged" with the feeling like you can't put two feet on the ground, or that you're walking between two worlds. As your consciousness transitions into the new energy, you body sometimes lags behind. Spend more time in nature to help ground the new energy within. This too shall pass.

9. Increased "self talk." You'll find yourself talking to your Self more often. You'll suddenly realize you've been chattering away with yourself for the past 30 minutes. There is a new level of communication taking place within your being, and you're experiencing the tip of the iceberg with the self talk. The conversations will increase, and they will become more fluid, more coherent and more insightful. You're not going crazy, you're just Shaumbra moving into the new energy.

10. Feelings of loneliness, even when in the company of others. You may feel alone and removed from others. You may feel the desire to "flee" groups and crowds. As Shaumbra, you are walking a sacred and lonely path. As much as the feelings of loneliness cause you anxiety, it is difficult to relate to others at this time. The feelings of loneliness are also associated with the fact that your Guides have departed. They have been with you on all of your journeys in all of your lifetimes. It was time for them to back away so you could fill your space with your own divinity. This too shall pass. The void within will be filled with the love and energy of your own Christ consciousness.

11. Loss of passion. You may feel totally disimpassioned, with little or no desire to do anything. That's OK, and it's just part of the process. Take this time to "do no-thing." Don't fight yourself on this, because this too shall pass. It's similar to rebooting a computer. You need to shut down for a brief period of time in order to load the sophisticated new software, or in this case, the new Christ-seed energy.

12. A deep longing to go Home. This is perhaps the most difficult and challenging of any of the conditions. You may experience a deep and overwhelming desire to leave the planet and return to Home. This is not a "suicidal" feeling. It is not based in anger or frustration. You don't want to make a big deal of it or cause drama for yourself or other. There is a quiet part of you that wants to go Home. The root cause for this is quite simple. You have completed your karmic cycles. You have completed your contract for this lifetime. You are ready to begin a new lifetime while still in this physical body. During this transition process, you have an inner remembrance of what it is like to be on the other side. Are you ready to enlist for another tour of duty here on Earth? Are you ready to take on the challenges of moving into the New Energy? Yes, indeed you could go Home right now. But you've come this far, and after many, many lifetimes it would be a shame to leave before the end of the movie. Besides, Spirit needs you here to help others transition into the new energy. They will need a human guide, just like you, who has taken the journey from the old energy into the new. The path you're walking right now provides the experiences to enable you to become a Teacher of the New Divine Human. As lonely and dark as your journey can be at times, remember that you are never alone.

Sis in the City

After 10 months in Dubai, sis came back to PI for a rather longish vacay. Welcome back home, sis! *hugs*