2 tulog na lang!

Dalawang tulog na lang at vacation time na!

Since we only have 2 days of work next week, my siblings and I are going to Zamboanga for some needed R&R and to celebrate Eid! I am really looking forward to having a week off and in fact have scheduled as much activities as possible.

Really looking forward to tasting the Tausog food such as Pastil, Sati, Tulasug as well as pork-free siopao and pancit. hehehe I'm sure that I will gain at least 2 pounds during the week off. Oh, well, we only live once right? Besides, I still have the whole of November to shed-off the unwanted pounds.

Aside from the food, I am also looking forward to spend some time with my family, cousins and friends. I just hope that I can squeeze in some alone time and get to finish reading / summarizing a book for a friend. (hmmm, do I hear a distinct "cashing" sound come mid-November?)

*********
Can't believe that it has been a year since I posted my frist entry. At first, I didn't know if I could regularly update my blog since I am notorious for starting a project / activity and having no follow-through. Glad that I did though, I met some great people on line. Thanks for visiting my blog!

*********
A year has gone by, and I noticed that so many things have changed, but some still remained the same. Grabe noh, the only constant in this world is taxes and change. hehehe.

My office had a change of leadership in less than a year (11 months to be exact), and although there may have been a change in management style, the routine and the frustrations at the office remained the same.

Transportation fare, Electricity and other commody prices hadgone up (and is most likely to increase next year due to the E-vat), but (gov't) wages remain the same. Tell me again, how can this can spur consumer spending and economic change?

Call for PGMA to step down is getting louder, the faces may have changed but the mindset hasn't.

I have gotten a year older, but I am no where near marriage. Bwhahaha.

count down begins

1 more week and its vacation time for me!

Can't wait to taste satti and sunburst fried chicken and all the tausog food I can eat for one week! I'm sure that right after Eid, it will be early morning satti for me and the beach picnic that I really miss.

hasta la vista

Suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks… you will be leaving in a few days and I will not be seeing you for the next three to six months. The day that I have been dreading is fast approaching, and as I want to spend more and more time with you, it seems that the time spent is just not enough. Why is it that time seems to move faster when we are together?

I will miss the time we spend together, your cooking, your smile, your touch and your voice. I think I might even miss our “petty” quarrels (but I know you will NOT miss my being makulit).
Let me take this opportunity to thank you for being such a huge part of my life, for always being there when I need you, for being my shoulder to cry on and for being my “rock”.

Thanks for being my “kakampi” even if sometimes we don’t agree on the subject and most of all, thanks for the understanding and patience even when I am being makulit.

I do not want to say good-bye, but see you soon. I know I will miss you, but I must learn that this is part of life’s journey. As you embark on a new endeavor, I wish you all the best. See you soon my dear, till then, I shall be waiting for your embrace.

beef kurma

Tausog cuisine has been influenced by Malaysian / Indonesian cuisine... this influence is reflected in one of my favorite dish, the beef kurma.

Ingredients:
1 kilo beef cubes / beef ribs
40 gms curry powder
2 pcs beef cubes (maggi or knorr)
4 pcs potatoes cut into quarters
50 gms tomato paste
4 pc garlic chopped (pwedeng damihan)
1 onion chopped
1 small ginger chopped
1-2 bay leaf
1 kilo grated coconut (for gata -- you need to get at least 3 "piga" / cups of cocomilk )
oil for cooking
salt and pepper to taste

procedure:
1. Marinate beef with curry and ginger for 30 minutes
2. Saute garlic, onion, bay leaf and 2 tbsp of curry powder.
3. Add tomato paste, beef, and beef cubes.
4. Put in the 2nd and 3rd "piga" of coconut milk / gata.
5. Once the beef is tender, put in the potatoes and the 1st "piga" of gata
6. Simmer until potatoes are tender
7. Serve with Roti, pita bread or rice

Enjoy!

taking a break

Since this is the month to reflect, I will be taking a breather for the next few days... will take time out to contemplate and try to be at peace with myself and my decisions.

a quiz

sometimes I would take this quizzes for the fun of it, and once in a while, results hit home.


Dominant Personality: Understanding

Good Traits: You gravitate towards people, and are a shoulder to lean on. You give advice at any given time.

Bad Traits: You aren't close with any one person. You immerse yourself in other people's problems and forget your own.

People see you as: Friendly, secretive, and popular. People envy you, and may try and use you as a tool

You're most like: Grace. You both have positive relationships with people. Neither of you have close friends, but unlike graceful people, you try to help people out and aren't as arrogant.

You need more: Solitude. You hardly get the chance to breathe when you take on the world's problems. You can't take other's responsibilities or put them before your own. Be selfish once in a while and discover who you
really are.


What's your dominant trait? (10 unique results)
brought to you by Quizilla

time to reflect

On October 4 or 5, the holy month of Ramadan officially starts. It is a time for inner-reflection, devotion to God and the practice of self-control (by way of fasting among other things) -- a kind of spiritual tune up.

For the next 30 days (give or take) Muslims around the world will be observing Ramadan and with it Fasting. Fasting starts at the breaking of dawn and ends at the setting of the sun. (One does not only abstain from food and drink, but also smoking and marital sex.) The usual practice is to have a pre-fast meal (suhoor) before dawn and a post-fast meal (iftar) after sunset.

Able bodied Muslims are obliged to fast during this month, excepted are the sick, travellers, and womena with certain conditions (pregnant or having their monthly period) but must make up for the days if they are able.

From :http://www.colostate.edu/

The third "pillar" or religious obligation of Islam, fasting has many special benefits. Among these, the most important is that it is a means of learning self-control. Due to the lack of preoccupation with the satisfaction of bodily appetites during the daylight hours of fasting, a measure of ascendancy is given to one's spiritual nature, which becomes a means of coming closer to God. Ramadan is also a time of intensive worship, reading of the Qur'an, giving charity, purifying one's behavior, and doing good deeds.

As a secondary goal, fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate, and learning to thankfulness and appreciation for all of God's bounties. Fasting is also beneficial to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence

For me, this will be the month of self-reflection. Time for me to see and analyze what I have done with my life and what I want to do right in my life. I will also be practicing self-control as I will be fasting this month -- fasting from food and other "luxury" items that I have gotten used to.