Listening to the Universe Whisper

From Oprah's Master Class

I once heard it said that the universe (or God, if that's your belief) speaks to us to try to keep us safe from harm and steer us towards our best life. If something isn't right for us, it is steered away from us though often we don't understand why and we struggle to get it or keep it within our grasp. I've learned that when things keep going wrong, no matter how hard you are trying, it's time to accept that it isn't for you.

I'm a work from home person. I prefer to be one. The freedom that comes from working online rather than in an office setting is one I truly enjoy. Being a freelancer allows me to choose my schedule and give myself holidays and breaks. The pay is also not lessened by having to pay so many people to make something happen such as with many corporations since the only employee involved with my client is me.

I heard from my niece about this company whose line of work seemed to be right up my alley. So I thought it over then I applied for one of their jobs. And now this is where the fun began.

First step needed was to take an exam which makes sense. They need to guage certain skills as a baseline. The test had 4 parts. You pass the first test, you proceed to the second, and so on. I ACED the first test but strangely, rather than get screen for the second test, I get a screen that said I alrady failed it. What?! I didn't even get to see it!

So I figured, hmm, maybe it's a glitch. I followed the process for reporting an error. They emailed me that the problem was resolved and I could proceed but when I accessed the site, It would be a complete retake. What?! That doesn't seem fair. Hay! At that point annoyance was building but, ok, maybe their system has to work that way. Passed the test. Yehey! Time to do a demo test.

So I got myself scheduled for the test, read the materials provided and had my system up and running. Everything looks ok. Now the instruction materials stated that they'd be calling 30 minutes before but I still had 60 minutes to the start of my appointment when a call from them came in from the prospective client to test the setup. OMG! I shouldn't have opened the line so early. There went my study time!

Now I had checked the setup requirements before I had gone to bed last night. Everything seemed to be A-OK before I stepped out to run errands. However, the tester tells me he can't hear me clearly and we confirm that my headset's mic is not working. In spite of all attempts to get the mic functioning properly, it doesn't and I'm forced to reschedule for another day. It's alright but a little frustrating.

Why in the world were so many things going wrong? I don't know. I figured the problem was my headset or the laptop. Simple test to confirm would be to use another headset. So I used my phone's earphones and it works perfectly so it does not appear to be the laptop. As a confirmation, I plugged in the headset that had a problem and lo and behold, it is working perfectly! What the hey?!?!?!

All this makes me think this isn't a good client for me. They appear to be a good company but I think I'd better listen before the whispers and quiet knocking become a scream and a brick, as Oprah said.

FunRun: Parun ng Cowboy

As you can see from the image above, Cowboy Grill in cooperation with their listed partners, are sponsoring a fun run for May 17, 2015 at the CCP Complex.

Runner's Singlet

There is a 3k, 5k and 10k run. Registration fee is 450, 550 and 650 respectively and can be done at any Cowboy Grill or Mizuno branch. Registration fee includes the singlet and bib.

Everyone who finishes is a winner. You get your cowboy hat and badge once you cross the finish line. No, there is no need to run in boots ;-P

If you are like me, who don't like running or fun runs aren't your thing but want to support this charity event, you don't have to run. You can register and pass on the singlet and bib. You can also just show up for the after party. You can even just register and your donation will be much appreciated. Just remember, no hat or badge unless you cross the finish line.

Proceeds of the fun run go to Cottolengo Filipino, an orphanage for disabled kids.

Now In Season: Fruits from the Land Down Under

Growing up, I recall there were always fruits in the house. Living in a tropical country, I grew up with mangoes, lanzones, mangosteen, and of course, bananas, just to name a few. Apples, grapes and pears though not grown locally also made it to our table though not as often. Peaches I only saw come out of a can. I never really wondered where the imported fruits we  ate came from so the experience at the Now In Season event held by the Australian Embassy was educational.

I arrived early at the event with slvrdlphn. We got to walk around a bit and chat with the speakers of the event before it started since nobody was  there yet, lucky us! Here are the speakers (from left to right): John Moore, CEO of Summerfruit Australia, Anthony Weymouth, Senior Trade Commissioner of Austrade Manila, Olivia Tate, Market Development Manager of Apple & Pear Australia Ltd., and Jeffrey Scott, CEO of Australia Table Grape Association.

Plum, Apple, Nectarine

I never knew that nectarines looked similar to apples. If I hadn't been introduced to them by speaker John Moore, I'd probably still continue to mistake them for small apples. He was kind enough to sit with us and talk about how to differentiate each and let us taste them during the event. Hint: Nectarines and plums would be shipped without their stem. The scent is also very different.

He also mentioned that these fruits are the kind that are better with less handling. He told us that they try to minimize the amount of times that the fruits are touched to keep the quality high. Discovery from this set: I like fresh plums!!!!!

Take a look at this pear on the right c/o Apple & Pear Australia Ltd. This makes me think of a guava but it really is a pear. Chef Tim Hollands used this pear in his cooking demo on french toast.

He also made pear quesadilla but the video did not survive my phone crashing so I'm unable to share. I can confirm though that it was yummy! Something for me to make for the kids to enjoy with me.

One of the things I liked was that each and every fruit is tagged with where it comes from and when it was picked. If there are any problems, we can complain and it is actually possible to trace the origin of the piece. Of course, it makes no sense to complain if our own mishandling is the cause of the poor quality.

I'm used to seeing pale yellow colored pears. Aside from the guava like pear above, we also saw some brown skinned ones which reminded me of chicos (sapodilla fruit) and there was a cute tiny one (image:left) with the colors of an apple. Really cute! I don't want to eat it yet because it's so cute. Thank goodness they keep if refrigerated properly (and not handled too much) though the battle has been lost as it is now in my tummy.

A simple and delicious way to enjoy pears is to slice them in half, sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar, dab some butter and bake in an oven. Thanks for the suggestion, Ms. Olivia Tait!

Not new but certainly welcome were the grapes. We got to try three varieties at the event. These definitely are the ones I'd like to buy at the grocery. Sweet and seedless and absolutely refreshing. The color reminds me of duhat  (Syzgium cumini) which really makes me think of summers with my family, picking fruits and eating them by the handful.

All of the fruits on display (and more) are available in Rustan's, Shopwise, S&R, and Robinson's Supermarkets, in case anyone wants to try some.

Coffee Talk with Third of Starbucks Philippines

Third, Starbucks Phil. Coffee Ambassador

I had the opportunity to attend the Coffee Talk session handled by coffee ambassador, Third, on April 8 at Starbucks Reserve, Tomas Morato. A Starbucks sponsored event, customers were invited to come over and learn more about coffee agriculture. Naturally there were written materials prepared and Third was really knowledgeable about this beverage we all love to drink but this was no dull seminar. This was a coffee party with some information provided to help us appreciate the uniqueness of the coffee we were about to enjoy.

There were quite a few interesting facts I learned from the session. For example, when I think of coffee from the Philippines, I think Batangas or Benguet. Neither of these regions are where Starbucks gets their local beans from. Apparently, they are working with farms in Bukidnon and they aren’t able to produce enough beans yet for Starbucks to come out with a packet completely filled with Philippine coffee beans. Local beans are mixed with some from Indonesia and made into the Kape Vinta blend.

What would a coffee session at Starbucks be without coffee tasting? Strange for sure! Third brought out some Sundried Ethiopia Konga beans for us to experience and enjoy. Trivia: did you know that it is considered rude if you refuse a coffee ritual invitation in Ethiopia?

Waiting for the caffeine!!!!

We started off with hot, black coffee. We tried to identify the various scents in the aroma of the coffee before we tasted it. Then we had a slurping session and tried to identify the flavours. My uneducated palate couldn’t seem to catch the berry taste that the others said was there. My tongue said roasted bean and that was about it. Need more coffee exposure!!!!

Coffee Classmates

The signage at the counter indicated that the blueberry scones were the perfect pairing item with the Sundried Ethiopia Konga coffee we were having. Third, however, recommended the apple cinnamon scones instead. We tried both combinations out and while both are good, my sweet tooth preferred the blueberry.

I am definitely looking forward to the next Starbucks session. I hope it will be the Nicaragua Cabu Azul we get to sample next! 

Recipe: Sweet-Spicy Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry

Freshly cooked

When I was a kid, I didn't like being in the kitchen and cook. It often felt too hot and mom often said too many cooks would spoil the food. Looking back, I really wasn't much help except as the dishwasher which I happily volunteered to be each time.

Now that I'm a mom, cooking is a necessary skill. Thank goodness for the internet and the many wonderful chefs and cooks out there willing to share their talents, techniques and recipes. On days like today where I need a little help coming up with something different from the usual, finding this simple stir-fry recipe is God sent.



Ingredients

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons  soy sauce

Ready to roll

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine

1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

3/4 teaspoon cornstarch 

2 tablespoons oil, divided 

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces 

8 ounces sugar snap peas – I didn’t have any on hand so opted to omit this.

1 red bell pepper, sliced 

1/2 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges – my picky eaters don’t like onion when they can see it so sliced thin instead

1/4 cup sliced green onions – omitted by choice.

1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts 

Preparation

1.     Combine the first 7 ingredients, stirring well; set aside.

2.     Heat a large wok or large heavy skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; stir-fry 4 minutes or until browned and done. Remove chicken from wok.

3.     Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to wok; swirl to coat. Add all the vegetables; stir-fry 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in brown sugar mixture; cook 1 minute or until thickened.

4.     Stir in chicken; toss to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts.

It was a hit with the kids. Not  too sweet and not too spicy and it was good to eat over rice or as cabbage rolls. Final result: no  leftovers on anyone's plate or on the platters which is a testament to how much everyone liked it. I will definitely make this again!

I didn't have all the ingredients listed so I used what I had on hand. The original recipe by Ann Taylor Pittman can be found at myrecipe.com for anyone who want's to try it.  Just click  here.

Review: K-pub BBQ

When anyone in our family celebrates a birthday, they get to choose where we will go for the feast and what activities are done. My boys had actually hoped for Gelatissimo but unfortunately, it had closed and we didn't know since their site still has Trinoma branch listed :( so after going 'round  a bit, the boys settled on K-pub since it had meat all you can.

The place is bright on the outside but the inside was dimmer but not gloomy . This may be because it is also a club with band performers and TVs all around.

It being our first time, I was very glad to have such helpful attendants. Most of the food is cooked on a grill set in the midle of the table though some items come out of the kitchen ready to be eaten such as the pizza.

The menu is simple enough. They have set menus or you can order ala carte.  We chose to go with set B, from their Eat and Run Menu (they let us have/cook all the items from the set within an hour's time). The set the timer once the first piece of meat hit the grill.


While waiting, we had some appetizers. They gave us dry fish in a sweet sauce (caramelized), tofu, pickled vegetables, bean sprouts, sweet potato mash, and of course, kimchi. Personal opinion, there should have been two sets of these since the size of the trays are for one side of the table, not exactly pass aroundstyle and awkard to be reaching over people and the grill heating unit.

Each table is assigned an attendant. The attendant places all the orders and does the grilling. I appreciated  this since the grill is hot!

We tried almost everything in our set menu. The items that we ended up ordering more of were the beef sukiyaki, korean bacon, marinated chops, the lamb chorizo, calamares and the buttered shrimp. We wrapped them in lettuce leaves, put some sauce and down the hatch they went. No need for rice - and speaking as someone who normally MUST have rice with her meal, that's saying a lot.

My son liked the spring rolls. The way it was served made it look like on roll was cut into 4 bite-size peices and served as  one dish.

We also got one spicy pork pizza and a bulgogi pizza. I personally liked these. These are heavy though and will make you full so if your goal is lots of meat, you want to leave the pizza for last.

The most important things to remember: you pay for any leftover meat at ala carte rates. This just meant ordering only what we could finish since the other rule is you can't take anything home either. The good part is you can order stuff to cook til the end of your hour. They will cook all of the orders and allow you time to finish the food without additional charges.

I like that almost everything was cooked in front of us. My hubby and son however weren't happy with the heat wave wafting at them from the grill and the scent of grilled meat sticking to them. I got lucky, I had the spot where the heat didn't go.

I liked the taste of the food but my hubby was quick to point out that this definitely is not a quality meat place, which he'd have liked. The meats were just regular. We also would have been happier if the grill was bigger or there was more than one so cooking would be continuous, no lull in between.

For first timers, I'd suggest placing a big initial and then ordering what you want next while the batch on the grill is still cooking. This will do away with the waiting period caused by not having enough food on hand. Also, make sure your party is complete when you place the order because the order is per table and they don't restart the clock just because some arrived late.

By the way, this is not a fine dining restaurant (just in case some are unsure). It is a pub where you can get the set meal for as little as PhP 499. The plates are bright colorful plastic not porcelein or ceramic but they look great in pics. They have Korean music playing rather loudly but not enough to give one a headache, with the video of the songs showing on TV screens up on the walls beside the tables. If it is your birthday, they sing a portion of the birthday song in Korean mashed up with the Wonder Girls' Nobody But You and Psy's Gangnam Style while the assigned attendants dance around your table. It's enough to give one LSS (Last Song Syndrome).

Would I go back? Yes, I would though I don't see myself as a regular patron and I will never tell them if we are celebrating a birthday.

Longganisa: The Filipino Sausage

No matter where we go in the country, longganisa is always availble. However, they don't look or taste the same. We can create a tour of the Philippines and get the different flavors of each area through these. A Longsilog (Longganisa+Sinangag+Itlog) tour perhaps?

Often, these sausages are named for the region they come from. Vigan, Lucban are among the most familiar. Neither of these are sweet.

Hamonado is a sweet type of longganisa. Often when we travel, this kind of longganisa is what gets served at various places but this is not necessarily THE longganisa of the region visited.  You always have to ask because the specialties may not be served unless asked.

For example, Pampangga's longganisa is sweet but does not look like that which is typically served at the food joints. Where most hamonado sausages are fat, the Pampanga ones I've tried are long and slim; some are even skinless. There's a set that says they don't use salitre (salt peter or potassium nitrate) to make their longganisa which many of us appreciate. All of these are from Pampangga but not exactly the same. Yes, even in the same region, there are multiple flavors and styles.

Cooked Vigan Longganisa

Vigan is a heritage city in Ilocos Sur. The sausage from  here is made with garlic, ground pepper and marinated in the local vinegar. I read somewhere that some use basi (the local wine made from sugarcane) instead of vinegar. They look yellowish when you see them hanging in the market (uncooked). They actually hold the longganisa festivals in January for anyone who is interested (me! me! me!) to see more of this beautiful city and have a good taste of the local sausages.

Lucban Longganisa

Lucban is found in Quezon province, at the foot of mount Banahaw. The sausage from this region also uses garlic but the spices used are oregano, basil and lemongrass.  Unlike Vigan longganisa, the uncooked Lucban sausage is reddish in color due to the achuete used. For those who don't like vinegar, Lucban is a good choice.

I stumbled across an article that said that this region or that region has the best longganisa. I would say that everyone has their own taste and preferences that will make them say they have the best.

Personal favorite: lonnganisa from Alaminos, Pangasinan. Perhaps it is because I associate these with family trips to my dad's hometown and summer vacations. Maybe it's because I don't really like my sausage sour or sweet. I find these links absolutely the best!

Growing up we called them shortganniza because they are consumed in just 1 or two bites. These bite sized links are more salty and garlicky favored. We like them served with fried rice cooked with the fat from the longganisa and egg (sunny side up). Often, the challenge with eating these is you either need more longganisa or need more rice. Sooo hard to stop eating these!

What is your favorite? Haven't found it yet? Time to take a trip and find out.

Review: Autophilia Detailing and Paintworks

If there is one constant in the Philippines, it is dust. Add construction, smog, other vehicles, particles on the wind and if really unlucky, some rain, and your car gets a color change to brown or gray. If you have any mischievous neighbors or kids around, they may see your car as a canvas for their latest sketch (sooo not funny!) and you'll be driving around with drawings or phrases such as CLEAN  ME! on your vehicle.

A great place to quickly get rid of the grime on your car is Autophilia Detailing and Paintworks. I like this car wash. The people are friendly and you very thorough. They not only wash the exterior, they clean the mats and do some vacuuming. When they are done, they even put in newspaper over the mat because they know the bottoms of our shoes will be wet as we cross the working area to get into our cars.

All of that only cost 70 pesos. I've had my car cleaned in various places and I've had to pay higher with less quality results. I'd much rather bring my vehicle here.

More things I love about this place:

• They have an air conditioned waiting area where you can buy drinks and order food.  They serve delicacies from Vigan and Ilocos as well as rice meals (Bagnet anyone?)
• This is also a car shop. They do maintenance and repair work and way more! They have been part of numerous car shows and their cars are really showcase material.
• The owner and staff are very friendly and helpful. They helped me research costs for parts of my car though I haven't committed to getting anything done yet. They were also quick to tell me if a service would be unnecessary rather than trying to make an extra buck at my expense.

If you are in need of a good place to bring your car, Autophilia can be found at:

80 7th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila‎ (between Loudes Paredes Ave and P. Tuazon Blvd.)

0917 904 7049 (Mobile)

Fare Thee Well

I had a strange (for me) dream last night. I dreamt of my uncle who recently passed away, standing in sunlight, looking as I remember him from when I was a child. He appeared to be talking to a group of people then he turns to us (I can't assume I was the only one he was looking at) and says, "O lalakad na ko. Masaya na ulit." (OK, I'm going. Things are happy again). Then I woke up.

Now you'll tell me that it doesn't seem like a strange scene but for me it is. Here's why:

1. I am no medium. I am a child of two scientists who taught me to be logical. I will never say that ghosts, fairies, magic, and things of endless wonder do not exist (keeping an open and hopeful mind, especially toward magic). I know however that I have never had a gift to speak to the dead. I'm quite happy to keep it that way.
2. I was never very close to this particular uncle. While some of his children are my favorite cousins and friends for life, he was never one I really got to know. I never spent much time with him and truly didn't know him as well as I could have. So it makes no sense that he would come see me rather than his own kids.
3. I have never sat down with him or had a conversation with him that felt like that scene. That tells me it was not a memory.
4. I usually don't remember what I dream about except for snippets of one or two really nice ones.

Curious as to whether it might be a true dream, I called my dad and described my dream to him. I asked him if it sounded like something my uncle (dad's brother) would say or do. He told me no, it isn't. A part of me felt relieved since ghosts are not high on my list of things I want to experience. A part of me felt sad that it wasn't because I would have liked to be able to give this message to his family (if it was true) and hope it provides comfort.

Perhaps this dream is nothing more than wishful thinking. Maybe it is nothing more than a hope that my uncle is happy and healthy on the other side. It could be truly nothing more than a dream. Whatever it is, I feel compelled to write this and I hope that it gives comfort.

RIP, Uncle Rene.