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credits: Jeann
My December was full of reunions! And because I wasn't on any hospital duty (unlike the past two years, huhu!), I was present in all of my friends and former classmates' parties. Last December 31, New Year's Eve, we had lunch in Charo's house with my high school barkada. Great food, great friends, great time! =) We also had fun playing with Charo's daughter, Lianne (the cute kid in the pics). Just click the thumbnails for larger view. Happy viewing! Sorry for the blurry pics, all taken by camera phones in less than stellar lighting conditions. Charmus! Hehe!
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Yum
yum! :-) While most people dislike eating fruitcake, I adore it! Why?
Coz my mother makes the most scrumptious fruitcakes ever!Ü Her secret?
She doesn't scrimp on the ingredients -- she uses imported glazed
fruits, molasses and liquor for that hard to beat delish fruitcake
taste! And per tradition, my mother bakes lots of this for giveaways to
relatives and friends. Want one?Ü
I already forgot the reason (getting senile at a young age! gakk!) but my father got one side of our car repainted last week. The area for paint repair? Just below the chrome door handle of the car. I had fun watching the painter trying not to apply paint on the said handle accidentally, hehe! After all, car chrome accessories are notoriously hard to find if you want something specific to your vehicle (ours is an old Sportage). In the end, the painter put masking tape all over the door handle and the nearby chrome areas. Easy solution, lol! So the car got repainted without any major incidents =)
Finally I get to taste Ahfat's super yummy Chinese cuisine again! It's been a long while since our family ate here, more than 3 months I think.Ü As usual we ordered the family favorites of eight treasure soup, fried spicy spare ribs and sea cucumber with pork tendons :-) If you're a foodie who's been to Davao and never ate in Ahfat, shame on you! Hehe!
Finished Christmas shopping for my family and Labsie's family today. It was really fun while we hunted for imported bargains =) Labsie complained of sore feet and we didn't even walked around the mall stores a lot! Maybe guys are just made differently from women. WE are built to last, at least while shopping. Hehe!
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Before Christmas arrives, there’s one more big event to celebrate – my Mommy Chin’s birthday! Nope, she’s not my surrogate mom. Hehe! She’s the mommy of our high school barkada =) Chin, if you’re reading this, what do you want for your birthday? A hunky male model to serve as your slave for one day? Sosyal birthday gift baskets full of yummy goodies? Or perhaps a delivery from the stork? Hahaha! Kidding Chin! But I’m really serious about what you want for your birthday. It’s just a week away! Me? I’d be satisfied if you treat me out during your birthday dinner for FREE, hehe! =)
Today,
I became a godmother to Francis Henri Mari Salik, Labsie's nth
'grandchild' from his nieces and nephews. Hehe! Ekoy is my first
godchild and obviously it's my first time to be a ninang. COOL!Ü I find
it fascinating that next Christmas I have a godchild to give a gift to.
IF I can remember, that is. Hehe! :-) Hope you'll grow up to be the
best man you can be Ekoy!
P.S. The teddy bear above is the giveaway for ninangs. Cute huh??
As promised, here are some of our family photos from our Boracay vacation. Kudos to my mother who was constantly on the phone to find the gem among the many vacation packages that Boracay resorts offer. Anyway, I really enjoyed our family holiday especially since we wanted to go to Boracay for the longest time but our schedules (work and school) didn’t match until now. Our next vacation? Hopefully outside the country! Hehe! We did Hongkong when it had no Disneyland yet, and my parents have been to Malaysia, Singapore, and other Southeast Asian countries already. So, is it time we go for an American or European holiday?? Hehe! *cross fingers* I’m sure there are a lot of cheap vacation packages online (like the ones offered by Club Med) that we can afford. Scroll down for our pictures and more info about Club Med.
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Me, Mama and Papa in Crystal Cove Island (private island)
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The middle child (we are 3 in all and I'm the eldest) enjoying the buffet.
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The youngest sibling / wannabe photog at Tambisaan Island.
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Me in White Beach, just in front of our hotel, La Carmela de Boracay.
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SOLITUDE and grey skies morning...
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Club Med vacation resorts are found all over the world, in every type of climate and geography. Packages are available for singles, for couples and for families, so no matter what your 'relationship status' is, Club Med has a unique, once-in-a-lifetime vacation waiting for you. Their all-inclusive vacation packages really means "all-inclusive", you won't have to pay for anything else. You won't need your wallet (there's no tipping, hehe) in their resorts unless your gonna go shopping ;-P
My father has been pestering me to learn to drive but I’ve
been putting it off for months already. Apparently my father ran out of
patience and to my delight, he offered to buy me a car, provided I can drive
already. Hmm, sneaky.. Hehe! So who am I to refuse the very generous bribe, err
offer, right? Like every female out there, I’m into Honda Cars – their clean
lines and smallish car body appeal to my sense of aesthetics. I’m sure you know
what I mean =) Anyway, if you’re selling cars or know somebody who does, please
contact me with your latest Honda Car Prices. I plan to ask and shop around for
Honda Car Quotes so make your prices "attractive", hehe! But first, I
must learn how to drive.
A male cousin (hi Manong Oy!) just announced that he’s gonna wed his longtime sweetheart from our hometown next year. We are all excited about it coz this is the Tan family’s first wedding that’s going to take place in Kidapawan, our hometown. Manong Oy’s elder brother got married last year but it was in the hometown of the bride so most of the Tan family members weren’t able to attend. Anyway, his news got me thinking about my own wedding. Already, I can feel the pressure of planning and making things happen. Wahh! Happily, there are Wedding Websites that will help me plan the wedding of my dreams, and even help me find the perfect place for our honeymoon. I’m already downloading the wedding planning checklist just to make myself familiar with the things that need to be done FIRST. This is gonna be one BIG leap of faith! Woohoo!
If wanna to experience HongKong's Ocean Park here in the Philippines, go and visit Ocean Adventure in Subic! For only P400, you can watch a sealion show, a dolphin show, and visit their oceanarium (aquarium) from where this video of 3 stingrays (with a cleaner wrasse and cleaner shrimp) is taken from. Me, Ariz & his gf, and Earvin (my 2 pesky brothers) went to Ocean Adventure last November 3, and I tell you, we truly enjoyed every moment of it! Sulit kaayo ang biyahe gikan Makati, hehe! =) Anyway, enjoy and watch out for the next videos!
For some reason, Filipinos are averse of growing old and dying in nursing care homes or Home for the Aged as it is popularly known to us. Recently my father told me that UK will build such institution here in our city to cater to UK nationals to have been put into homes by their families. Our city is a beautiful one (with beaches, mountains and urban amenities) and our people are known to be skilled caregivers so I’m sure the UK oldies will love their last moments of their life here. As with any discussion in our family, it can’t be helped that it would turn to us. My mother asked if we’ll put them in a care home, of course I answered no. Knowing my mom’s affinity for family, she’d probably die unhappy in those homes. As for me, I have no qualms living in a nursing home. Since I have no plans to have kids, that’s probably were I’ll end up with in the first place, lol!
Do I have a tan already? Lol! This photo was taken in Puca Beach, home of the pretty and round puca
shells!Ü The beach is very beautiful here, the waters breathtakingly
clear, and the best thing? The sun is shining! Perfect for taking beach
photos :-) My mom was out looking for puca shells, my bros were
snorkeling and I'm cam whoring. My dad? He's watching all over us,
hehe!Ü For more of my unedited Bora photos, go here. Once I get back to Davao, I'll post all our photos. Watch out for it!
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Yey! After almost a month, my parents are going home again. They've been staying in Manila for most of the time coz Papa's work is based there. Of course, Mama is with him. As what she always tell us, the place of the wife is at her husband's side, not with the kids. Poor us, huhu! Lol! But no worries coz we're all grownups now. I'm 26 and our youngest is 22. If we were living in the US, we should be living on our own now. As it is, I'm a bum and my youngest bro is still studying. Only my other bro (second child) is working. Fine family we got here huh? Hehe! =) Anyway can't wait for my parents to arrive! I'm sure there'd be lots of pasalubongs, yesss!
Here are my good friends in our get-togethers early September. Jinky (in red), Chin (in white), Ger (male in red) and JB (in blue) are my friends way back from high school. We each live our separate lives but we know whatever happens, we'll always have each other. BERKS forever! Este, kada pala! Hehe! =) Click to enlarge and to appreciate our faces, lol!
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The premade cutie pink template is from AntJe's Scrap Corner. Love it! And best of all, it's FREE! =) So if you're into digital scrapbooking, go to her site. Lots of good stuff there! A bit of warning: the site is in German. Hehe!
I lived in a household where my parents control our comings and goings. As far as I can remember, all my fun times during my elementary days were with my parents and siblings. I go to malls with them, I eat out with them, I watch movies with them, I go to theme parks and pools with them; name any fun activity and you can be sure I’m with my family. I lead a very sheltered life then. My life revolved around school and family. Sure, I had friends but I only see them at school. Then I entered high school, and my life broadened. I was able to ride to and from school through public transport, I learned to cross the street at the age of 14, I was able to go out with my friends. Still, my parents keep a close eye on me. But I must admit, they never crossed the boundary of actually spying on me… I think, lol!
But it’s a different world today. Kids are more exposed to bad habits and cruel persons. Sometimes parents can’t sleep at night wondering what time their child will go home. Or thinking that he has been using drugs. Or wondering where she went. If you have a teen driving already, would you track where she goes? The device pictured above is a GPS car tracking device. You put it somewhere in your teen’s car (like in spy movies) and you’ll find out where she goes everyday. I’m just glad I don’t drive! Coz I bet my parents will use this, lol! But I’ll understand when they’ll do that. After all, I’m their only daughter, and I know they mean well. How about you? Will you spy on your kids? Will you use teen tracking devices on your own child??
The eagle has landed! One of my BFF has just arrived from Chicago and we met up for the first time in 2 years (I think!). Along with my other BFF, the pretty high school trio is once again complete, ahihi! =) Yup, that's the three of us below in a European resto (same one where my bf and I dined for our July monthsary) waiting for our orders. And no, I won't blog about the super yummy food there for now. Just wait for eat, I mean, it. Hehe! Hint: we had two servings of their Dutch Fries! Lami ayu Jinx noh?? Hehe!
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After our very filling dinner, we went to our house and chatted up some more. Though Chin was more into her new laptop and playing games on it. We ended up helping her in the difficult puzzles. Yup, that's our idea of fun. Nerds rule! Hahaha! The two were supposed to go home but decided to sleepover just like in our old days. I missed our times together guys! And I'm glad we had the opportunity to hang out together again. Love u homies! =)
What’s BWFE? That’s Birthday Week Food Extravaganza! Remember my post about my fantastic birthday week ages ago? I said that I would blog about the 5 foodie fests I’ve been to that week. Unfortunately, PayPerPost and ReviewMe snookered me into commercial blogging in my other blog. Really sorry guys! But if I tell you I made $140 from PayPerPost and $40 from ReviewMe, would you be happy for me? I hope so! LOL! =) So if you have a blog more than 90 days old, I suggest you start earning from them. ReviewMe is the easiest to get into, almost instantaneous approval of your blog if you meet the requirements. And after my shameless plugging, here’s BWFE part1!
The first foodfest I’ve been to during my birthday week was my deceased paternal grandfather’s birthday celebration. His birthday was July 13 and we went home to Kidapawan, our hometown, on July 14. He’s already dead for 3-4 years now yet my paternal Lola always remember to have a little salo-salo on his birthday. This year my Lola was having second thoughts to celebrate Lolo’s birthday. However, a few days before July 13, Lolo appeared in her dreams. Lola shared that she thought Lolo appeared to remind her of his birthday salo-salo. Hehe! And thus, Labsie and I found ourselves going to Kidapawan with my parents on July 14. Here we are hamming it up at the backseat. Papa was driving and Mama was in the front passenger seat.
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It was an uneventful trip until we were about five minutes
from our “ancestral” home. For the first time in more than a decade, our
vehicle died in the middle of a one-lane road! And it was just before lunch so
traffic was heavy. Boy, were the cars behind us pissed! LOL! So we all got out
of the vehicle and pushed it towards the sidewalk. Mind you, it was nearly noon
so it was very hot! Mama and me were under the umbrella most of the time while
Papa and Labsie sweated it out. Here are my parents (Mama with umbrella of course,
hehe) trying to figure out what went wrong with the engine, lol!
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After nearly 30 minutes under the sizzling sun without
progress in resolving the engine trouble, I asked permission to go ahead to
Lola’s house. I hate the noontime sun and I couldn’t take the heat any longer!
So Mama and I rode a tricycle to Lola’s house. Papa and Labsie were left behind
to fix the vehicle. After 15 minutes of arriving at Lola’s, the two men
arrived, the vehicle apparently fixed. And so Lolo’s birthday salo-salo was on!
Here’s the centerpiece, I admit it’s meager than our usual handaan fare. There
is no lechon (roasted pig) which is the norm; according to Lola, she’s saving
the pig for Christmas. Yesss!!! =)
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In lieu of the roasted pig, we have the roasted chicken or litson manok at the foreground (above pic). We had about 6 viands all in all, and they were all cooked by Lola and my aunts in their appetizing Ilocano way. Mmmm, my saliva’s starting to drool just thinking of the salo-salo food! =) Below are the pics of the freshly grilled milkfish or sinugbang bangus (left) and the super yummy kilayin (right). I don’t know what’s the English for kilayin but it’s like a savory stew consisting of pork slices, green peas, pork liver cuts and some pork entrails. Delicioso! Below the two pics is the photo of the beef spareribs cooked the Solito way, hehe! Another certified lip-smacking goody coz Labsie finished nearly 10 pieces of it. Glutton! Joke lang labs, I understand coz the ribs were really scrumptious. Thus its very prominent photo, lol! The ribs were very soft and tasty inside, crunchy and still tasty outside.. Mmmm, I can almost taste it! =)
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Not seen in the pictures are the roasted goat meat and
papait, an Ilocano delicacy consisting of goat entrails and bile. The word
“pait” means bitter and it is the bile that gives it the bitter taste. This
dish might sound yucky but the way my Lola cooks it, you wouldn’t even know
you’re eating entrails. Sigh.. Lola is such a very good cook! If only I can
live with her and learn the secrets of the Ilocano’s art of cooking, heaven!
The following photos are pictures of people having their fill of Lola’s
gustatory delights, hehe =)
Lola, Papa (both facing the camera) and an uncle ready to
dig in the feast!
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Papa, Labsie and an aunt; the feast has begun! =)
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More aunts (they’re the ones who cooked!) and the uncle from
photo #1
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My cousins and Labsie eating in the living room. There’s no
photos of me coz I’m the unofficial photographer. Sigh.. Here ends my rather
longish first post for the BWFE series. I hope you enjoyed the Filipino food
pics guys! I adore Filipino food and I will always promote it =) If you’re not
into Filipino food, stay tuned for BWFE post#2, it’s all about European
delights. YUM!
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To Gladys, Tatskie (ehem, Dr. Canape pala), and Yami -- thanks for the wonderful time last night at Taboan. It's so good to see you all! =) Were you able to finish off the mountain of pica-pica above?? Hehe! Our pictures are in my Friendster profile, check them out! To Jen and Vique, too bad we didn't get to see each other. Maybe next time huh? To Edi, lang ya ka! You organized the get-together and you're not there?? Tama na dive ba, awa sip-on nuon ka! LOL! :p Anyway I had a blast guys! Sa uulitin! =)
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It’s been about 2 months since I last saw my Brokenshire Hospital co-interns. Most of them (specifically 11) have passed the Medical board exam and are licensed doctors already. Here we are in a Grey’s Anatomy-esque pose. Hehe! This photo was taken in the hospital lobby’s “grand” staircase. We look cool don’t we?? Click it to enlarge and for you to appreciate our pose more, lol! =)
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The one in July 21 and 22 was my maternal grandmother’s 75th
birthday celebration. Her birthday was July 19, just next to mine, and we
typically combine our celebrations to save money on my parents’ part. But,
often, my relatives forget it’s my birthday too, hehe! It’s ok though, my
maternal Lola totally deserve all the adulation she receives during these times
as she single-handedly raised her 10 children (!!!) when my maternal
grandfather died. My Lola is a strong woman but you wouldn’t know it if you see
her coz she’s very small, frail and looks meek as a mouse =) There she is (in red) with
her sisters:
In between the Kidapawan foodfests were my and Labsie’s 93rd
Monthsary celebration in a new European café called The Farm (July 17), my
mini-birthday dinner at home (only two viands that’s why it’s called mini!
hehe) on July 18, and my dinner-out birthday celebration in Zakoya Japanese
Buffet (July 19). That’s three straight days of pigging out!!! But, hell, it’s
my birthday! Time to let go of my strict diet. Hahaha! ;p Here are sneak peeks
of my gastronomic adventures last week –-
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Watch out next week for my 5-part Birthday Week posts. All
of the things I mentioned above will have their own FULL posts with lots of
pictures and some videos =) I’m really excited to do this coz it’s the first
time I truly enjoyed my birthday without any worries that I’ll be late for
school the next day, that I have to study for exams (coz often, its prelims
week on my birthday, sigh), that I have to treat my classmates and friends,
etc, etc. I’m very glad that I made the decision to NOT take the medical board
exam this August. Coz if I will take it, I’m sure I would be buried in books
during my birthday. I would worry endlessly of time “wasted” while pigging out
and will not enjoy my birthday week at all. I would have missed Lola’s 75th
birthday and hanging out with my not-so-little cousins. Most of them were in
college already! Migod, time flew so fast! While I was busy in medical school
and 24-hour duties, the kids I loved were growing up. I’m just so happy that I
was able to reconnect with them. Thank you Lord! And thank you also for giving
me parents who understood my need to rest and regroup before taking the medical
board exam. Hehe! HAPPY ME! =)
This post is dedicated to my father who is celebrating his
47th birthday today. Happy birthday Pa!
My father is the “founder” cook in our little family. The
truth is he was the one who taught my mother how to cook when they were newly
married. Funny huh? My mother grew up in a household with maids and servant
boys so she never learned how to do household chores until she was in college.
And right after she finished college, she got married. Domestic goddess she
definitely was not (at the start, but NOW is a different story). Anyway, Papa
taught her Ilocano dishes that his mother (my paternal grandma) taught
him. Most were vegetable viands like pinakbet and law-oy. Stuff that I
never ate, ever! Google its ingredients and you’ll know why I won’t eat it,
hehe! Like me, papa never measures his ingredients. We just throw it all in the
pot or pan, let it cook, and it would come out savory and tasty. That’s talent,
my father would always say, and that I was the one who got it in our family. Hurray
for me! =)
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One of Papa’s favorite fish dish is panga cooked
adobo-style. That’s stewed fish head in the simplest English terms I could
find, hehe! This is very healthy as there’s no oil coz no sautéing is needed.
Perfect for Papa who is a borderline hypertensive. Tsk! Anyway, here are the
ingredients:
Soy sauce and vinegar to taste
FRESH tuna heads, cleaned
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1. Mix all ingredients in a large pot and add to water to
cover--
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2. Boil for 5min then simmer until cooked--
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3. Served piping hot with rice and
enjoy! =)
