Journal # 5: Violet Cupcakes

I am obsessed with mastering the art of decorating cupcakes. It took me a while to figure out how to use the different tips that were available to me.

With the vanilla cupcakes I had on hand, this is what I ended up making, the Violet swirls and designs! Flowers and swirls are generally the easiest designs anyone could do! I think I did fairly well. Did I?

Pretty pansy!

Isn't the pansy beautiful? This was the result of my third try. It was really difficult for me. LOL But I never gave up! I still have to work on it though. 

I first piped a plain swirl then I added the pansy. I made 5 petals and then I added 1 silver ball instead of piping another color. I didn't have enough bags to have another color of frosting to be piped up.

After doing this, I thought of swirling/tinting my plain white frosting with the violet one and so I did. I first did the swirls, they turned out beautifully too! FYI, violet is my favorite color. So anything that has the color violet is beautiful for me. haha

I will not give up! I will learn new tricks to improve our business and share with everyone the good this brings! :)

Christmas is in the air and I'm really excited about baking the orders that have been lined up already! Thanks for the support! 

BTW, the foodnetwork.com's Vanilla Cupcakes are awesome! :) You guys should try them out. Get their app on your iPhone, iPad or iTouch too! It would be a great help to you! 

It's like a flower garden!

 

Violets

Journal #4: The Burger Queen

Read the title again with a Darth Vader voice. I think it's creepy sounding. HAHA

Anyway, about 2 days before our cousin, Gaile, left for CdO, I decided to make burger patties! I used the recipe in BBC. I forgot the title and link (maybe find it and attach later) but it was easy and delicious! A very easy recipe for a burger that you could easily alter to suit you and your family's tastes!

Mixy, mixy, mixy!

It only requires ground beef, eggs, flour, seasonings, bbq sauce, garlic, onions, and a little tomato sauce. I think that's about it! :) You just mix them all together by hand or by a wooden spoon. I did mine by hand. It was a bit icky. It'll turn out like this.

I don't remember the exact measurements but you only need about 1/2 kg. of ground pork or beef. For my burger patties, I used pork since we didn't have any beef around. Make sure you taste a little portion (cooked) of it. To ensure that it tastes awesome!

The lonely patty!

After mixing tutti ingredienti, I shaped my patties into flat circles. Again, You can do this by hand or by use of a spatula. I only made 3 circles then because there were only 3 of us in the house that time. I want my patties freshly cooked in every meal. 

I didn't think burger patties were so easy to make. I had fun making them. I'm getting hungry just thinking about making them last time. HAHA.

So, by this time, the grill that you will be using should already be preheated and sprayed/brushed with a little oil. The directions in the recipe claimed that I should fry it. But to make it less fatty and healthier I decided to grill them, less oil is better! :)

I used some flat silicone spatulas (the ones at the back of the uncooked patty)to transfer the patties and used them for cooking too! They made all of it easy! 

1, 2, 3, 4, don't put them in the fire that long!

Based on this picture, you can see how lovely and delicious looking they turned out to be!

The only problem with mine was, it was a tad salty. So be careful with how much spice you put in. I also added some secret ingredients to further suit our taste. :)

Cooking time wasn't specified at the recipe, so I suggest for Pork Patties: 3-4 minutes on each side, medium fire. Beef Patties: 4-5 minutes, medium fire. You should always check the patties after 1 minute, you don't want them burnt.

That is so delish!

I like my burger simple, so my sisters and cousin sliced some onions and tomatoes, prepared some fresh lettuce and sliced cheese. My favorite dressings are Mayonnaise and Mustard plus some pickle relish. My cousin, Gaile, cooked some fries for the side too. It was awesome!

I'd cook it again some time! I had some left over patties and I freezed them. Oh and I added lots of garlic and onions to the patty mixture, I love those flavors on my burger! 

Eat away! 


Signed, 

The Burger Queen
Ice :)

Journal #3: Basic Dinner Rolls

I was highly interested in making dinner rolls or bread but I had a problem: all the supermarkets around my area don't have ACTIVE DRY YEAST. So, all that I could buy was INSTANT DRY YEAST. 

The Back story:
My sister has been trying for quite some time now in making soft bread. Every single time she tried, she ends up non-rising bread. We still bake them and they end up as a good pizza crust. I realized then that something else may be wrong.

I, then, searched for recipes online for dinner rolls. I tried to find the easiest ones and so I did. I then began making the bread and followed the instructions very carefully. The part where I had to let my batter sit out to rise or double in size did not happen! I was really frustrated. I did not know what went wrong. So then I read the recipe again. Checked my ingredients if they were still good. Then, I read the label for my yeast. It says "Instant Dry Yeast", I looked at the recipe and it said "Active Dry Yeast."

*FacePalm*

I finally figured out what went wrong. My tip to you new bakers would be to make sure the ingredients that are asked would be the ones you would use, just to avoid disasters. LOL And that you'd READ the entire recipe first before doing it. Make sure you understand what you have to do.

So yeah, I changed the recipe that I was using and searched for recipes that called for the use of Instant Dry yeast. And I found the one called "Perfect Basic Dinner Rolls" by StressBake7 from Yummly.com.

The recipe was very easy and I tried it. My Rolls turned out really great! Although I did some minor alterations by adding herbs to my dough, more flavor for the bread itself etc. 

Oops, where'd the other pesto roll go? *burp*

 The first alteration I did was adding freshly made pesto to the rolled out bread. I baked it at 360 Farenheit for about 15 minutes. It had a good color and aroma. 

You may also use ready made pesto that's available on any store. :)

It tasted really fresh and good. Oh, and before I forget, I reduced the amount of salt in the recipe coz' I found it a bit too salty. 

Eat me! Pestolicioius!

 Based on the picture on the left, You can see that my rolls weren't sealed. I forgot to add water to the side to seal it. LOL. So, to avoid that next time, I plan to re-check every step that I do.

That's really good bread!

The second alteration I did was add some sesame seeds on the bread. At first, without thinking, I placed the sesame seeds on top right after I floured the dough, this is wrong. The sesame seeds fell coz' it had nothing to stick to. So, on the next try, add the sesame seeds on top before flouring the dough and shaping it. Or maybe butter could help. If you forget to add the sesame before you flour, you could finish all the steps first then just butter the top then put the sesame seeds on 'em.

The baking time for these regular rolls are 17minutes. A little more and the bottoms would turn black.

Hmm. Chocolate Bread.

The final alteration I did was add chocolate chips in the dough. Who doesn't love chocolate on their bread, right? I loved it! I added about 6-7 large chip in the middle then sealed the bread. When I tasted it, It seemed that the chocolate was too little. I guess next time I'd add more for more flavor. 

I baked these for 17 minutes too. Their sizes were the same as the the regular rolls. 

 So yeah, here are the products of my perseverance and creativity-ish. I'm not really good at conceptualizing things and creating one-of-a-kind dishes. I'm here to deal with what I have in the kitchen and produce what I think would be best for everybody. :)

I just love baking food, don't you feel the same way? 

Work! Work! Work! and Journal # 2: Cupcake

When I was a kid, I always dreamed of what my life would be, I wished to grow up asap but now that I'm older, I wish that I could be young again.

I like being grown up I just hate the responsibilities that are linked with being an adult.

I hate the fact that adults should be forced to work. I like working because of the money, it's just that it gets boring as more months come by. I want to be able to do something that's more of ME. I want to be involved in something I'm passionate about. I don't mind if the salaries are smaller, all I care about is my happiness. I want to pursue my dreams and these things are stopping me from doing so. This life that I have now is boring. No fun whatsoever. I feel like I'm being forced into doing things (which, in truth, I AM). How can I escape this? I don't want to continue my MA, work and scholarship anymore. Maybe I just need a break from all this.

Enough with the drama! Moving on...

I want to have my own bakeshop! It's gonna be awesome and I sure do know it! I want a cute-theme with eye-catching colors! It's gonna be fun and I'm so excited. If only I had the money... Well, it all starts with hard work! I have to work harder to attract more customers and increase profits. I wonder what promos could work? I'd have a thanksgiving promo for November 2012 since it's been a year since we started this business. I'd definitely have another one on December since it's Christmas! I'd take advantage of the people's love for food and give discounts and freebies! Haha


Also, I was thinking of creating a new cupcake, something Filipino inspired, maybe a buko (coconut) inspired cupcake or something like that. Oh and I gave up on Joy of Baking's recipes, some recipes weren't as good as I thought they were. Some of the cupcakes turned out to be really heavy and dry. I won't use their recipes anymore. I don't know what went wrong with the recipe. However, if you think that I am wrong, it's fine. This is just my opinion anyway. Maybe it's because of the different weather here in the Phils. than there. Whatever, I don't know.

So, I'm still on the look out for wonderful and awesome tasting cupcake/cake recipes. Know any sites? Feel free to comment and let me know! :)

I'm Singing by Kari Jobe (Chords and Lyrics)

Since the day I discovered how great Kari Jobe's music was, I've been constantly listening to her songs and I've become a FAN!

Here's another great song from her. I used my wonderful musical ears to determine which the chords were to play this song. It's always best to listen to the original song to perfectly get the timing for each chord. 

I did my best in getting the right chords.

Enjoy!


I'm Singing - Kari Jobe (Video)
- Oh and this song is originally in key of F#, you can use my chords with a capo on the 2nd fret. I like keeping it simple so even newbies can play the song. :P


Intro: E - A (2x)

Verse:
       E               A
Only one Name lasts forever
       E             A
Only one fame stands alone
       E             A
Only one King has an anthem
          C#m    A       B
That goes on and on and on

Chorus:
        E                             A
And I'm singing to the God who brings redemption to the nations
E                               B A
Kings and oceans bow to Him in praise
        E                              A
And I'm singing to the God who wrote the book on our Salvation
F#m             G#m         A
To the One who covers me in grace

I'm singing

Adlib: E - A

Verse 2:
(Same chords as Verse 1)

Only one word in the beginning
Only one Truth will prevail
Only one love brings you freedom
Only one man took the nails

Chorus
Bridge:
E                     B
Praise, praise to the Saviour
 F#m                 A
Praise to the Lamb of God
E                     B
Praise, in all of His splendor
 F#m                 A
Praise, for saving my life

Chorus
 

Journal #1: Boozy Woozy Cupcake

Last week, a friend of mine asked me if I could bake cupcakes for her friend. When I asked her what kind of flavor she wanted, she said something flavored with "Bailey's" or any other alcoholic drink. In my head I was thinking, this is another creative idea that I must try! So without a doubt, I said Yes!

So yesterday, I went shopping to find "Bailey's." Too bad they're not sold at smaller bottles. So I wasn't able to buy it. I looked for an alternative and I found "Vodka Mudshake Cappuccino". 

I have never tried that drink before so I don't know how it would taste on my cupcakes/frosting.

I got home and I started baking with my sister, Candice. We thought about putting it in the batter and putting it in the frosting. 

I used my usual chocolate cupcake base and added about 3 tbsps of the mudshake. I tasted the batter and it was okay. So I started baking them, then cooled them. 

I was making the usual buttercream frosting instead of adding vanilla and milk I added the mudshake. It didn't work out as I thought. I didn't want to waste the mixture I made so I turned it into a filling. It tasted really good though but it was too liquidy and adding more sugar to stiffen it will make it too sweet! 

Pretty, pretty flower. Oops, I mean Cupcake!

It was unique and tasted great. It was like a mocha cupcake but with booze. 

The filling tasted a lot like coffee cream. I tried it with a cupcake and it tasted great! I topped it with a Dark Chocolate frosting and it is the bomb!

Look at it. I love the way it looks with the violet cupcake liner and the frosting design. 

It doesn't only look good, it also tastes good!

Try our cupcakes and maybe personalize yours! You won't regret it! (facebook: King's Crust)

Disclaimer to My Blog and Posts

WARNING: Any person and/or institution and/or Agent and/or Agency of any governmental structure including but not limited to the United States Federal Government also using or monitoring/using this website or any of its associated websites, you do NOT have my permission to utilize any of my profile information nor any of the content contained herein including, but not limited to my photos, and/or.
..the comments made about my photos or any other "picture" art posted on my profile. You are hereby notified that you are strictly prohibited from disclosing, copying, distributing, disseminating, or taking any other action against me with regard to this profile and the contents herein. The foregoing prohibitions also apply to your employee, agent, student or any personnel under your direction or control the contents of this profile are private and legally privileged and confidential information, and the violation of my personal privacy is punishable by law. UCC 1-103 1-308 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Please feel free to copy and use this post.For those of you who do not understand the reasoning behind this posting, Facebook is now a publicly traded entity. Unless you state otherwise, anyone can infringe on your right to privacy once you post to this site. It is recommended that you and other members post a similar notice as this, or you may copy and paste this version. If you do not post such a statement once, then you are indirectly allowing public use of items such as your photos and the information contained in your status updates.

Finders, replacers!

Have you ever had difficulty selecting and replacing blank cells with other words/numbers in excel? Well, I have. I had data of more than 2,000,000 and I found it extremely difficult to replace manually (one by one). 

Imagine the time I would have spent searching for each blank cell and typing or pasting the new text. Well here's a help for Microsoft Excel 2007 users. 

The other helpful hints from other forums (like this link)did not work on my excel sheet. I don't know why. Using "Go to - Special...-Blank cells" (Ctrl + G) does not seem to select the blank cells. It just says, "no cells were found!" 

Even the "Microsoft Excel Help" wasn't able to help me! Quite ironic but it really didn't.

Here is another easy way of replacing those blank cells! Just follow these simple steps.

Steady My Heart Chords and Lyrics - Kari Jobe

I love this song. My sister introduced this to me and it's just wonderful!

Since I wasn't able to find the right chords in the internet to this song. I decided to just play it by ear and voila! Here are the correct chords: 

Please do correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks!

Food Explorer: Chicken Wings

I am not a fan of any other chicken part. I love chicken wings so much. Maybe it's because of my frustration dream of flying. I don't know. 

I dedicate this blog to one of my true food loves- it's you Chicken Wings!

Out of the wings experiences that I've had here are the restaurants with some astonishing recipe or style of cooking Chicken Wings.

1.  Shakey's Buffalo Wings

For me, pizza is not the only thing this restaurant is known for. Their Buffalo chicken wings are one of the best that I've tried. It really is something that I crave for most of the time. 

What I love about their chicken wings is the flavor. It's tangy and a bit spicy. One bite from it and you'll surely salivate. It's something you won't regret ordering. It's always better when the chicken is freshly cooked.

Whenever we eat at shakey's, I don't let my parents order without taking some of these wonderful chicken wings. I just can't get over it! I love eating them! 

The only problem is, for me, it's a bit too expensive. The Solo Pack (3pcs whole wings or 6 pcs cut up wings) is around PhP 190. They pay the customers back by high quality chicken wings. 

It's good to eat it on its own or with mojos n' dip. 

2. Manang's Chicken Wings

 

As the restaurant name says they specialize in Chicken delicacies. Well, mostly fried chicken in their "secret" sauce.

Their chicken wings are a bit crispy and flavorful. The sauce comes in 3 flavors: original, mild, and hot & spicy.

The original isn't so bad, it's a bit salty and sweet. The two flavors are actually perfectly balanced in their recipe. Making this one of the most craved food in my life. Mild is just a lighter version of hot and spicy. 

I don't usually like sweet tasting stuff. But this restaurant did something to me, maybe brain washed me or put "gayuma" in my first order of these amazing chicken wings. I keep coming back. Although there still is a satiation point when it comes to this, you can't eat from the restaurant after 3 meals in a week. You'll get sawa or tired from eating it. 

It also is a bit expensive. For PhP 135 you get 2 whole wings + rice + iced tea. I guess it's a good enough bargain.

3. Flaming Wings' Wing Meal

What I love about flaming wings is the variety of dips and sauces they have. You can totally choose what sauce and dip you like for your chicken wings. If I remember correctly the sauces are: Original, Mild and Sweet, Caribbean Jerk, Oriental, Wild, and Barbeque.  The dips are ranch, honey mustard, aioli, bleu cheese, wasabi mayo and I'm not sure if I forgot something.

My favorite combination is Mild and Sweet and Bleu Cheese. They just suit my taste buds perfectly. I love my chicken wings a bit spicy and tangy.

Like the Style in Manang's, flaming wings has deep fried crispy chicken wings. Experiment for yourself and try other variations of the sauces and dips. Who knows, you might get hooked too!

The wing meal is PhP 125, it comes with rice and drinks too. It is a tad cheaper than in manang's. I used to be crazy about their chicken wings but manang's definitely got my attention. 

Have you had a chicken wing experience lately? Tell me about it. Refer your favorite restaurant to me and I'll give it a try! :)

Journal #0: You'll Go Bananas!

Bananas schamananas... Oh, how I dislike(d) them!

Argh. Look at that thing!

Years ago (2007), I went to this Ministers' Kids camp thingy in Boracay Island, Aklan. I met lots of friends and new foes. The banana was one of the new found foes. I stopped eating bananas since that day. The sight, smell and taste of it just makes me want to puke. It might seem unusual for a person to dislike something so much but hey, once you hear my story you'd begin to understand.

They say that not eating bananas could cause you health hazards like having low potassium etc.  I knew then that I could get those vitamins from other fruits or veggies so it wasn't really a threat to me, hence, I didn't eat bananas for a long time. 

In the camp, there were lots of events per day. One of the events to cap off the camp was an "Amazing Race". I'm not really sure if this is where the banana-scare began but whatevs.

One leg of the race was an eating contest. Contestants had to eat whatever hideous/disgusting food was hidden inside the newspaper packaging.  Not just eat but finish the whole thing. Some people had okra (eww), ampalaya (easy), nuts etc. When it was my turn to open mine, I saw a whole bunch (piling) of bananas. I didn't care if they were senorita bananas (the small kind). The point was it was literally biting more than I could chew.

I looked at my teammates and sighed. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Well, it was a game, being very competent, I started peeling and eating the bananas. Halfway through my 3rd banana, I felt my stomach wanting to vomit. I was starting to dislike the taste. Too much of something is always bad. I don't remember finishing that part of the race. Well, we lost that part. I think we managed to get 2nd or 3rd place though.

Since then, I haven't eaten a banana. I couldn't stand its taste and smell. If banana was the only food left in the world, then I would be forced to eat it to survive.

Since this baking passion of mine began, I encounter the taste of bananas more frequently than usual. Some recipes call for bananas like banana bread, banana chocolate cupcakes etc. The taste somehow still makes me want to puke, I guess the trauma still somehow agonizes me. Ha ha.

Hmm. Hello bananas!

One recipe, the banana chocochip muffins, changed this. I started to eat bananas again-but not without chocolate. I can eat bananas but not on its own, its overpowering taste and smell should be covered by something, at least. Oh, and the muffin tasted really good. The chocolate compliments the weird taste of the banana.It removes that umay feeling you (mostly me) get.

I baked these again last night cos' someone ordered them. I was really surprised that after the taste-testing that we did, I wanted to eat more.

My little victory over the banana-scare hopefully will go on till I can eat them peacefully again! Oh, and order these delicious muffins from our little baking business! If I liked them, then I'm sure you would too!

What I love about Subic!

Subic is one of my favorite vacation spots. It is highly accessible and near. You can just drive through NLEX for about 3 hours et voila! Subic is right there! We go there about 4-5 times a year. We just got tired of Baguio, so, we chose Subic as our new favorite vacation spot. We went there last August 20-21, 2012.


What do I love about Subic?

1. NATURE. I love the mountain views we pass by during the drive to the city. It just reminds me of how beautiful the whole Philippines used to be. It is a good thing they started preserving wildlife in Subic. I love them for that! Subic is very nature friendly. They let the animals live in the forests in the whole city. They have snakes, cow, goat, monkeys running around everywhere. Well, technically snakes don't run, but you get my point anyway.

"What are you looking at?" - Monkey Mom

These monkeys just love visiting people in the villages. you know why? They'd want to steal your food or let you give it to them.Those adorable babies they have, their cuteness would melt your heart. Believe me. I can't help but be amazed at these creatures. It's like I'm highly comfortable with them, exactly like the way I feel about my siblings. (erm, if you know what I mean. LOL)

Aside from the monkeys, there are birds, domesticated cats and dogs, and maybe a chupacabra. I don't really know what else is out there in the forests. It's a mystery to me.

    2.  ROAD DISCIPLINE. Subic traffic is so different from Manila. People in this area OBEY the traffic rules. No one dares to run a red light, swerve, etc. I love it because I love peace and order. I don't like seeing people disobey the rules and get away with it. Here people are being hailed immediately after an offense.

I remember when my dad swerved accidentally. Note the key word here "accidentally." The traffic enforcer hailed him and had him show his license to the officer. They negotiated etc... I don't really want to share what happened. So yeah, they're really strict here, no bribes can stop them. So a warning to new drivers that plan to go to Subic, please don't drive the way you do in Metro Manila. The officers will be watching you like an eagle watching its prey.

   3. ADVENTURE. Like Russel (Disney's Up) would say, "Adventure is out there!"  Indeed, in Subic there is lots of adventure. There are training camps for survival in the forests, ziplines etc. The most famous adventure destinations for me are JEST camp, Zoobic Safari, and Treetop adventure. I loved those places. You'll definitely have fun with nature!

Zoobic Safari is definitely my favorite. Being an animal lover, I got to see and play with the numerous animals they have during the tour and shows. The talent show was amazing! That's one part of the tour that you wouldn't want to miss. Don't worry, they take good care of the animals here. They let them live in an environment mimicking their natural habitats, not in cages.

Ah! They're eating right from me hand!

What I don't like about it is that they ask you to pay for animal treats every freaking time. But I did enjoy feeding the animals especially the love birds and the camel! I bet kids would love those too!

   4. BEACH. Generally, I love the beach. I really do! I love getting kissed by the sun and swimming till my hands wrinkle. Going to beaches is what I look forward to in Subic. Most of the beaches are clean. Some resorts like Camaya protect the sea creatures too. I remember last year, when we went there to swim, there was a net over the sand. There was a sign that said that the net is protecting the turtle eggs that were laid there. Isn't that heart melting? I love their management for preserving the environment and animals.

There are lots of creatures that swim with you while in the Beach. Like a variety of fishes, octopi, starfish, crabs (crustacean not the illness ha ha) etc. I love seeing and watching those things through a snorkle or goggles.I remember going to another beach on the other side of Subic, I forgot the name. Near the shore, there was a baby octopus swimming about. It was so cute. I didn't mean to step on it, I didn't know it was there. It felt weird and icky but good thing it was alive.

Some beaches have banana boat rides, island hopping, kayaking, diving, etc. You just have to know what you want to do beforehand so you can reserve to make sure you can get to do the activity. 

   5. SHOPPING. It is one of the place where I like to go shop to buy clothes and food. Some of the items sold there aren't available anywhere else. Sometimes, it is much cheaper too. Like the Dr Pepper my sister is holding. We rarely find Dr. Pepper in supermarkets in the Philippines. That's why we were so excited to buy them in Subic, well my sister was.By the way, she took all the photos I posted here and in some other blogs too.

Yum yum!

    6. FOOD. The restaurants here are also unique. I am so happy that they aren't that commercialized, not too much Jollibee, Mcdonalds, etc.
There are a lot that we have tried. Be sure to eat at Texas Joe's! My other favorites are Giuseppe's, Wimpy's, and Xpresso Cafe (not sure about the name). Like I said, there are a lot and we haven't the time and money to eat at all of those restaurants.

Oh, what's that over there?

Oh, I can't wait till we meet again Subic. I will keep on dreaming that one day, I'll have a house there with my family and go there as often as I can. Or maybe live there. I don't know.

Unexpect the expected

Isn't life really ironic? The people we expect to do the right things end up doing otherwise. It just really surprises me. The saying should not only go "Expect the Unexpected" but should be "Unexpect the Expected" too. I don't know if the word "unexpect" really exists but you get my point.

For those who may not know, I am in the middle of helping out a former teammate by selling tickets for a concert dedicated to raising funds for the baby. So yeah, I was talking to people, asking for help by simply buying. Sharing to them the amazing story of Mikael, the baby. This is one of the many ways that I could help. If only I were rich, I'd give a big amount of money.

Going back to the unexpect the expected thing, the realization came to me yesterday. I was talking with someone really close to me. Someone that I knew to be compassionate and helpful, even religious. I talked to him about this friend of mine who needed help paying bills for her son's hospital confinement. His response quite shocked me. I cannot believe that it is from him that I would hear this: "Let the rich people help her."

Can someone hand me a gun so I can shoot myself? I mean, wrong answer dude. Where was the compassion I saw in you?

The rich is only 1% of the total population and you are waiting on them to help? What about us, the 99%, who can help? We're just gonna let other people suffer? It may seem like an over reaction but wake up. If I or YOU wouldn't help, then who would? If you were in the same situation, wouldn't you appreciate help no matter how big or small?

I realized then that you cannot just come up to anybody and ask for help. I guess he didn't want to be forced to help. Oh, I don't know why that was the response, maybe something is disturbing him.

I shouldn't totally expect anything from anyone (and same goes for you, dear reader).  It will just lead to disappointment. Advice to self: approach people without thinking what their response would be. As Nike would put it, "Just do it." We will end up losing faith in humanity but we can rely and have faith in God. He will surely never fail us!

I still believe that there is good in everybody. I say that giving is the best form of loving.

Our House is a Zoo

Don't you just love pets? Lemme introduce you to our pets...

First up is Bubbles. 

Merry Christmas, Ice!

 She was a Christmas gift from Cristian. Oh Man, she's really so cute. She's full of energy. I don't know what kind of a dog breed she is. But, I think, that it doesn't really matter. I just  her! :) This was her when she was shedding last January 2012. Her birthday is November 6, 2011. She loves running around and showing off. She knows how to sit, shake hands and stand up. She's quite a fast learner, which I like. 

I hope that even if she grows up, she'll still be sweet to me. 

I'm a sleepy Waffle. Touch me and I'll claw you!

Second, meet Waffle! She's not as scrumptious as her name, I mean HIS name. I like using the word scrumptious. Anywho, this is how he looks like. 

He's a stray cat but now he lives with us. He grew up in the vacant lot next to our house. Our yaya started to feed him. He now sleeps in our garage and watches over our home. He already has "marked" our house as his territory. He did it by showing us how great a hunter he is. He killed a mouse in our house and showed it to us. It was gross. 

Sometimes, he claws me and my sisters or the couch, the carpet and other things. I hate him for that. Long as he keeps our house free from pests like rats, mice and cockroaches, He's free to roam in the house. 

My Third pet is Mindy. She was a gift from Jeremy. We bought it March 2011 at robinson's Galleria. I randomly thought of having a pet turtle. It's not that difficult to take care of one. You just have to feed it twice a day and change its water every 3 days. They don't need baths or too much vet visits. Just do those 2 main things and they'll be fine.  BTW, Mindy is a red-eared turtle. I think.

"Oh, I love swimming!" - Mindy

This is a picture from their old home. they now live in an aquarium, thanks to my sister Candice. *wink wink* We added a few rocks and shells to their aquarium, so that they could lie on a rock or shell from time to time. Mindy used to be just about the size of my palm. Now she's bigger than my hand, they don't grow that fast but they live up to a 100 years. Awesome, right? I want Mindy to be the "legacy" that I'll pass to my children and my children's children. LOL JK. But iy Mindy does make it that long, I want my family to continue taking care of Her even if I die. 

Fourth, This is Quiggle, Mindy's associate.

"This water smells funny." - Quiggle

We're not really sure if Quiggle is a male or female. We just adopted it. S/He was from our neighbor, Kuya Jun. Kuya Jun can't seem to take care of it due to lack of time and space. So we took Quiggle in. I don't know why Candice decided to name it Quiggle. Prolly because it "quiggles" as it moves? Is there even such a word? I don't know. LOL Mindy has a tendency to bully love Quiggle. Mindy takes Quiggle's food and stuff. I don't know what kind of turtle Quiggle is. I haven't tried searching the net and stuff.  

The most recent addition to our pet collection, Hachi. (Collection!?!? LOL)

 I took Hachi in when I found out that He was being neglected at Cristian's house.

Hachi (left), Me (right) Don't interchange it!

PS: The one holding Hachi is Me. And I'm not a dog. JK

Hachi was or still is an introvert. He sleeps most of the time. He isn't as playful as Bubbles was. They get along well because they're siblings. Just like how Mindy bullies Quiggle, Bubbles bullies Hachi in some ways. I managed to stop it by giving them both attention and care. (awwww) Again, I don't know what kind of breed He is. He's a very matakaw dog. He eats a lot, when I say a lot, I mean two servings per meal. If he stops eating like that, then there's something definitely wrong. 

I love all of my pets and I care for them a lot. I give much time and attention to each one of them so that they won't feel neglected or sad. I could say that having pets made me more responsible and caring. I guess it's an effective way of teaching kids/teens responsibility. It's just amazing how I can manage everything plus pets at one time. I don't mind spending money on them. They're like my children now. HAHA

Thank you God for my WONDERPETS! J'aime les animaux!

"Wonder pets, wonder pets we're on our way... Go Wonder pets!"

-Wonder pets, Nickelodeon

Dreams of the Hopeful (Repost)

February 1, 2012

11:32AM

" Vision is non-negotiable for anyone who wants to succeed. It is the blueprint on the inside of a leader, before he ever sees the plan on the outside." 

- John Maxwell

Normal people (not saying that others are not normal) usually have dreams or visions of their life. People aspire for greater lives, happy families, success and many other things. People strive for purpose. For those hoping to find their purpose, dreams become the way of finding it, dreaming of things beyond imagination and possibilities. Like me, I don't know my purpose in life exactly. I dream of things that I know are quite improbable but I still dream of it. Hoping that one day, I'd achieve it.

John Maxwell's quote is inspiring. He emphasizes the power of vision to a leader and that every leader should have it. Success is the reward for people who are determined to achieve their visions. It's like saying that we can't do anything that we've not thought about. 

We need visions to find our direction in life. At times that you are confused, think about your dreams, aspirations and visions for your life. You'll see that what you want is all in your head. 

I dream of a better Philippines. Where the majority of the people don't experience hunger, they're educated and have better lives than before. I don't like poverty. I don't like the thought that other people are suffering while others are wasting money and opportunities away. I want children to have better lives. I don't want them on the streets begging. I don't want children dying of hunger or of an illness that can be cured. I don't like injustice. I hate the fact that people are corrupt and use money to make themselves look good while others suffer. I don't like criminals getting away for all the wrong they've brought upon others. I don't like our corrupt politics. I want our leaders to dream big for our country. We can do better than however we're doing right now. Filipinos are creative and innovative. We could make it out alive, not just alive but the best there is! I don't want our leaders wasting our money (I, too, am now a taxpayer) on some stupid thing. We should invest and improve everything in our country. Like roads, infrastructures, organizational structures, utilities etc. There are a lot of things we have not explored. We should just think. Even if it requires overhauling the democratic system, we should do it. It's for everyone's sake anyways. We should just learn to trust each other and be united. Being an archipelagic (is there such a word?) country is no excuse to be regionalistic and divided.Work together people! We can't achieve anything if we keep on fighting. This is our country we're talking about. If you want a better life, then you're also wanting the other Filipinos to have better lives.

I want Filipinos to have a choice. I want them to be able to explore opportunities and make the best of it. I want them to be able to experience life to the fullest. I want them to make their dreams for themselves and the country happen. 

I've thought about this dream for a long long long long long long time. I've wanted this since high school. I believe in the Filipinos. I'm just still wondering how this could be achieved...

We all want a better life, country and world. It all starts with a dream!

Yesterday's A Dream (Repost)

January 25, 2012

10:53AM

We should all wake up. Stop dreaming about yesterday, it's gone. Nothing you can do to change it. It's time to focus on now and tomorrow.

I like looking back to things that I've done. I wanna know if I made the right decisions. Did I make the right friends? Did I take the right path? Or something like that. I want to be sure. I want to know. Confusion

I know that I've made lots of mistakes but somehow, looking back helps me get some closure. I could always think of ways to change the outcome in my head. If i hadn't done this or that. That makes me feel better. Regret

It's time to let go. Time to change whatever I feel about the past. I can't just live in it and make it rule in my heart and mind. It's all about what I think. Change perspectives and it'll change everything. Optimism

 I dreamed that one day my life would change. I dreamed about living by the ocean, catching the sun on my skin daily. I dreamed about living away from all that tires and drains me. I dreamed of leaving my boring life behind, moving on to greater horizons. I dreamed about having my adventure for a lifetime. Dream

There's nothing wrong with being confused, having regrets, being optimistic and having dreams. It's a normal path of life. A lot of people have questions that are left unanswered but that does not mean they should stop looking. There's always an answer. There's always a resolution to what I'm going through in life. 

Yesterday's a dream, for tomorrow a new opportunity comes! 

My Quarter Life Crisis (Repost)

 January 23, 2012

9:24 PM

*Based on the fact that a person lives for 80 years on average.

Now that the times are tougher, I am starting to get tired of my life. I've had a lot of "what ifs." I've wondered what my life would be if I didn't leave Miriam College. if I didn't meet Cristian, if I didn't pursue my MA, if I didn't play pingpong, and many other things.

I came up with the questions below to challenge myself, to find direction, to know where I am now. Maybe the pressures and stresses of work and school are driving me nuts. But I don't know, the time really comes when you begin to question your purpose in life...

What am I doing with my life?

What have I done in the recent years to bring change to this dying world? I've always wanted to change a lot of things but what have I done? NOTHING. Nothing. I used to tell myself that one day I'll be a change-maker, that I'll help the poor, feed the hungry, make my country a better, peaceful place. All these years I've done nothing. I always talk but never walk. I spend my time studying and studying, it's all in my head.

I should stop being selfish. This life that I am living should not be focused on me. I am better off than other people, so I should stop being so selfish. It's time to think about other people.

What has happened to my dreams?

I've had lots of dreams. Some were unrealistic and childish but some were serious. I dreamed of becoming a songwriter and a singer. I've always had an excellent singing voice. (yabang! haha) I've written a number of songs. Songs that come straight from my heart, life and experiences.

I dreamed of working for an NGO that solves our society's problems from the roots. I've always wanted to do something for the people in need. Remove their hunger and you give them more opportunities and choices in life.

I dreamed of becoming a politician too. I don't want to be corrupt like the others. My focus is not to have money. But to utilize the taxpayers money to improve the citizen's lives. I want to see change and be the change!

All that I am doing now has been a hindrance for me to achieve my dreams. Well, maybe not a hindrance but stepping stones for me to reach my dreams. It's just that I'm getting tired and impatient. I feel worthless for not being able to do anything. I wanna do big things! I know I can do something to change this country! I don't want to just sit around as opportunities to bring change passes me by.

Where am I now?

I still am a student. I am taking my masterals in Economics at Ateneo de Manila University. I'm unexpectedly doing well in school. I am also working part-time as a teaching assistant there. I bring students to the field to do their research for the communities.

I am studying under an athletic scholarship. I play pingpong. It keeps me healthy and sexy! haha I enjoy playing although somewhat I am getting tired of my routine in life. I want a change in my life. I'm getting tired of my life.

What do I plan to do now?

I want a break. I want to rethink my life, What I value, what I really love doing. I want to go on vacation and spend some time with myself. HAHA I feel like dropping everything I have now and just leaving for vacation. I started to feel that whatever I have now is not for me. I don't deserve any of this.

Lord, I pray for direction in life. I wanna know what you want me to do. Let's have it your way this time. I wanna make things right in my life.

*BOW*

Hate Mail (Repost)

My sentiments to the Filipino people until now...

 September 11, 2009

2:38PM

Ito na ung blog na sinasabi ko kanina na susulatan ko ng mga rant at hate ukol sa mga bagay na related buhay ko na sobrang nakakaBV. This may not be interesting to you so skip this and read the last part (the one in BOLD)

1. Nakakaasar sa umaga pag papuntang school kasi traffic. May dalawa kasing school sa Marcos Highway at Magkatabi pa! o dba? edi traffic nga ang aabutin nun. Sa exact same spot pa na un, nandun ung MMDA U-TURN slot. Alam naman nating lahat na nakakadagdag sa traffic ung road blocks na nilalagay nila.

2. Nung pinapanood ko ung mga commuter habang paparating ang isang FX to Santolan LRT na walang laman, may babaeng nauna sa harapan, siningitan siya ng matandang lalaki, kasama ang asawa niya. Hey Old man! Hindi ka ba tinuruan ng pagrespeto sa kapwa ng magulang mo? Hindi porke't matanda ka na pwede mo ng gawin ang lahat ng gusto mo. Hindi ibig sabihin ng katandaan mo na pwede ka mambastos ng kapwa mo! Buti na lang hindi kita napagsabihan. Buti na lang mabait ung babaeng siningitan mo! Kailangan din niya sumakay ano!!! Kaasar ka. Ang sarap sipain.

3. Napansin ko rin na hindi lamang jeepney drivers/kundoktor ang kinaaasaran at sinisisi ng mga may kotse dahil sa matinding traffic. Kung papansin niyo po, ang mga pasahero rin kasi pasaway, kung saan saan nila gusto bumaba eh may TAMANG SAKAYAN at BABAAN na nga. Nakakaasar diba? Tapos magrereklamo kayong (pasahero) hindi kayo makasakay at bastos ung jeep dahil sa TAMA kayo binaba! Kaya hindi umuunlad ang PILIPINAS ay dahil sa mga taong katulad niyo na puro reklamo, nasa MALI naman pala. Kulang kayo sa pagsunod sa batas. Kaya wala akong pakialam kung masagasaan kayo!

4. Nakakaasar din ung non-compliance ng mga tao sa pedestrian lane. Diba? gumawa na nga ng safe area para pagtawiran duon pa sa "nakamamatay" sila tatawid. How stupid can Filipinos be? Sabihin na nating gusto mo ng thrill, edi dun ka sa LRT tumawid o sa tren para thrilling talga! Para mas exciting pa, dun ka sa building ng office niyo bumili ka ng mahabang kahoy na aabot sa kabilang building at dun ka tumawid! Putrages!

5. grr. BV talaga. (Sa Ateneo, may bagong waste segregation.) Sa classroom isa lang ang basurahan, for DRY PAPER lang. Then, one of my genius classmates tried to put in a plastic material of some sort, basta malaki. Sinabihan siya ng isang classmate na Bakit dun niya tinapon eh pangpaper nga. Sabi niya "Eh ayaw ko sumunod eh" What an ASSHOLE!!!!! nakakaasar talaga.

Pag-ako lider ng Pilipinas, papatayin ko lahat ng sumuway sa batas, I don't think na nakakatawa ung ginagawa nilang pang-gagago sa batas na meron tayo. Hindi ko na matolerate ang ganitong behavior. Pag may sumusunod sa batas, may order ang society.

Ganun ba kahirap sumunod ng batas?

Simpleng batas nga lang sa Ateneo hindi pa masunod, sa buong Pilipinas pa kaya? Lam niyo, we should obey rules. Rules are there for a purpose. Ginawa un to protect the citizens, to promote their welfare and many other reasons that I probably may not know.