It's been 3 years.
9 years ago
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
this recipe was taken from my little 200 Chocolate Recipes book. i don't have a kitchen weighing scale yet (sponsor, anyone? hehe), so i just used an ordinary measuring cup with an ounce graduation instead. nonetheless, it turned out really good. :) i'll be posting the original recipe below while i add notes after that to document what actually transpired in my kitchen. happy baking! :)
ingredients for the base:
200 g (7 oz) plain flour
50 g (2 oz) cocoa powder
75 g (3 oz) golden caster sugar
175 g (6 oz) butter
for the caramel:
750 g (1 1/2 lb) condensed milk
100 g (3 1/2 oz) light muscovado sugar
100 g (3 1/2 oz) butter
for the top layer:
200 g (7 oz) white chocolate
directions:
1. blend the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and butter in a food processor until the mixture forms crumbs, then pulse a little more until it forms a ball. turn on to a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and well combined.
2. grease and line a 30 x 20 cm (12 x 8 inch) roll tin. press the mixture into the tin and bake in a pre-heated oven, 180 deg C (350 deg F), for 20 minutes until firm to the touch. set aside when done (this is the chocolate shortbread mixture).
3. heat the condensed milk, sugar and butter in a nonstick pan, stirring continuously, for about 15 minutes until the mixture is thick and fudgy. pour on top of the chocolate shortbread, smooth over and cool.
4. melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and pour it over the caramel. leave to set at room temperature, then cut into 20 squares.
notes:
1. of course, cream the sugar and butter first! i used an ordinary sugar because i don't have a caster sugar at hand. no problem was encountered. i wonder if the caster sugar will make the shortbread less sweet??? i didn't do the kneading part, btw. tinamad ako eh. haha. that could be the reason why the texture is not so smooth when it was cooked. pero carry na rin, nasa ilalim naman siya eh. haha.
2. i've read somewhere that shortbreads were meant to be cooked slowly. so, i reduced the oven temp a little bit and just increased the timing. hmm.. i used 150 deg C but i couldn't be specific with the duration because i just check the bread every now and then. so far, my method worked! :) since it's chocolatey, there's a big tendency for it to have burnt sides which i was able to avoid because of the slow cooking. also, don't panic when the supposed dough didn't rise up. it will not. :) yun nga daw ang reason why it's called shortbread. short siya sa height. ngahahaha.
3. as always, i don't measure. haha. so, for the caramel i used the tantiyahan method. =) ayoko na kasing mag-compute what's the equivalent of 1 1/2 lb into oz. :D and since i don't want to have a left-over caramel, i just guesstimate this part.. caramel, sugar and butter. hehe. so far, with about half a cup of condensed milk, 1/4 cup sugar and around 100g of butter, i was able to make a 1/4 inch of caramel layer. not bad... ;) making this caramel reminds me of the brazo de mercedes recipe.
4. this is the part that i liked most. hihi. i melted the white chocolate but i put around 1/4 teaspoon of butter. i've read somewhere too, that melted chocolate with a bit of oil/butter, will be more shiny when it cooled down. so it was! finally, before this layer cooled down completely, i sprinkled some colored sugar decorations on top to entice even those who swore to stay away from sweets. lol.
verdict:
the final result was fab! i was hesitant to make this because of the amount of sugar involved. iniisip ko palang, parang hihimatayin na ako dahil sa diabetes. hahaha. however, with my intention to bake something without using eggs, the ingredients were perfect. in additon, this recipe uses plain flour. as much as possible, i shun from recipes that uses self-raising flour. self-raising flour and me, just don't go together. hehe. anyhow, the final product was a 3-layer goody... with a base having a bittery taste complemented by the sweetness of a gooey caramel and deluctible white chocolatey top. description palang panalo na. how much more when you actually bite into it??!! lol.
200 g (7 oz) plain flour
50 g (2 oz) cocoa powder
75 g (3 oz) golden caster sugar
175 g (6 oz) butter
for the caramel:
750 g (1 1/2 lb) condensed milk
100 g (3 1/2 oz) light muscovado sugar
100 g (3 1/2 oz) butter
for the top layer:
200 g (7 oz) white chocolate
directions:
1. blend the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and butter in a food processor until the mixture forms crumbs, then pulse a little more until it forms a ball. turn on to a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and well combined.
2. grease and line a 30 x 20 cm (12 x 8 inch) roll tin. press the mixture into the tin and bake in a pre-heated oven, 180 deg C (350 deg F), for 20 minutes until firm to the touch. set aside when done (this is the chocolate shortbread mixture).
3. heat the condensed milk, sugar and butter in a nonstick pan, stirring continuously, for about 15 minutes until the mixture is thick and fudgy. pour on top of the chocolate shortbread, smooth over and cool.
4. melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and pour it over the caramel. leave to set at room temperature, then cut into 20 squares.
notes:
1. of course, cream the sugar and butter first! i used an ordinary sugar because i don't have a caster sugar at hand. no problem was encountered. i wonder if the caster sugar will make the shortbread less sweet??? i didn't do the kneading part, btw. tinamad ako eh. haha. that could be the reason why the texture is not so smooth when it was cooked. pero carry na rin, nasa ilalim naman siya eh. haha.
2. i've read somewhere that shortbreads were meant to be cooked slowly. so, i reduced the oven temp a little bit and just increased the timing. hmm.. i used 150 deg C but i couldn't be specific with the duration because i just check the bread every now and then. so far, my method worked! :) since it's chocolatey, there's a big tendency for it to have burnt sides which i was able to avoid because of the slow cooking. also, don't panic when the supposed dough didn't rise up. it will not. :) yun nga daw ang reason why it's called shortbread. short siya sa height. ngahahaha.
3. as always, i don't measure. haha. so, for the caramel i used the tantiyahan method. =) ayoko na kasing mag-compute what's the equivalent of 1 1/2 lb into oz. :D and since i don't want to have a left-over caramel, i just guesstimate this part.. caramel, sugar and butter. hehe. so far, with about half a cup of condensed milk, 1/4 cup sugar and around 100g of butter, i was able to make a 1/4 inch of caramel layer. not bad... ;) making this caramel reminds me of the brazo de mercedes recipe.
4. this is the part that i liked most. hihi. i melted the white chocolate but i put around 1/4 teaspoon of butter. i've read somewhere too, that melted chocolate with a bit of oil/butter, will be more shiny when it cooled down. so it was! finally, before this layer cooled down completely, i sprinkled some colored sugar decorations on top to entice even those who swore to stay away from sweets. lol.
verdict:
the final result was fab! i was hesitant to make this because of the amount of sugar involved. iniisip ko palang, parang hihimatayin na ako dahil sa diabetes. hahaha. however, with my intention to bake something without using eggs, the ingredients were perfect. in additon, this recipe uses plain flour. as much as possible, i shun from recipes that uses self-raising flour. self-raising flour and me, just don't go together. hehe. anyhow, the final product was a 3-layer goody... with a base having a bittery taste complemented by the sweetness of a gooey caramel and deluctible white chocolatey top. description palang panalo na. how much more when you actually bite into it??!! lol.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
i always make alibis for my late updates here in my blog. i don't wanna start my post with another one. i'm starting to be an Alibi Queen if i do so. hehe. instead, i'm going to list how i am feeling right this moment.
- mad - i am furiously mad at my hubby's former boss. he always messed up my family's vacation plans and we always end up not spending our holidays together. i am mad that he has no word of honor and doesn't even consider my habibi's status as a family man. i am mad because he is not a good employer. i am furiously mad because he made my husband pay for his own ticket and he did not even give his gratuity. in short, Mr. M deserves all the bad luck in this world. may his company go down the drain along with him. ggggrrrrrr.....
- disappointed - i am disappointed by our department head's way of leading. he takes issues lightly and i feel he lacks the guts to solve things fast. most of my PRs will be celebrating their 2nd birthdays and when i asked him about the status of these so that he could jump and down as well to the procurement department, he just give me the usual reply i get from a person who has no concern. it is me who sits with the students and researchers and each time the SEM monitor turns off, i just dunno how to explain to them that the matter is beyond my control. it is my performance to my role that gets affected in here and more so, it is my face the students sees. and guess what, who gets the bad impression?? i am just terribly disappointed. have i said that twice?
- happy - despite my hubby being banned to work in the UAE for 6 months, i am happy that we now share the same plans. hehe. yep. before, i have plans and he has his own. haha. now, we plan to meet in Oz by next year and then, both of us will come back to UAE in time for his 3-month visit visa.
- sleepy - i am back to taking our bus service and it picks me up at my stop 6:35AM. kumusta naman yun?! i used to wake up at this time before. hay... goodluck na lang that i'll be able to keep my eyes open during the day. coffee to the rescue???
Thursday, November 12, 2009
first thing i did when i arrived in my office was open my facebook account. lol. ssshhh... anyway, from there, i received a message which made my day horrible. it was a personal message from someone i don't know and who may have the habit of ruining someone's day. she did succeeded but i do hope i have her's twice miserable. ngahaha.
after making sure i have redeemed myself, i opened my office email application and lo and behold! an email from my case officer telling me that our visa application's approved and granted! yipppeeee!!! couldn't believe it yet so happy!! :)
yep, 6 months after the lodgment date, no agency... just lots of reading, hardwork and prayers (plus a little help from www.phillippines.com.au friends!), paid off! a million thanks guys and gals! goodluck to all of us to the journey to the land down under. hihi.
so, for those who try their luck in seeking Australian Immigrant Visa, here's an outline of what we did:
after making sure i have redeemed myself, i opened my office email application and lo and behold! an email from my case officer telling me that our visa application's approved and granted! yipppeeee!!! couldn't believe it yet so happy!! :)
yep, 6 months after the lodgment date, no agency... just lots of reading, hardwork and prayers (plus a little help from www.phillippines.com.au friends!), paid off! a million thanks guys and gals! goodluck to all of us to the journey to the land down under. hihi.
so, for those who try their luck in seeking Australian Immigrant Visa, here's an outline of what we did:
- download Booklet 6 from www.immi.gov.au website.
- read Booklet 6 over and over again until you have undertood it by heart.
- assess yourself against the checklist if you meet the minimum points required. i yes, proceed with the next steps. Otherwise, try NZ or Canada??
- register in www.philippines.com.au forum.
- took IELTS exam.
- have your qualification assessed by a respective assessing body. in my case, i had mine assessed by Engineers Australia.
- upon receiving positive assessment result from EA, lodged online application.
- got questions along the way? confused? refer to step # 1 or ask in step # 4.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
nope, not for me.... for lance, who else?! lol. i told myself that we ought to be very wise when it comes to spending money these days because of the expenses that we're expecting for next year. anyhow, i just couldn't help myself. i just love planning birthday parties! :) i will try my best to keep the expenses to the minimum and yet still make the party awesome.
for his 3rd birthday, his theme would be jungle safari. i chose this theme for him because by the time he gets to choose his own theme, i bet he won't be choosing the animals anymore. hehe. secondly, a jungle safari theme would mean less DIYs. well, i hope! hahaha.
for his 3rd birthday, his theme would be jungle safari. i chose this theme for him because by the time he gets to choose his own theme, i bet he won't be choosing the animals anymore. hehe. secondly, a jungle safari theme would mean less DIYs. well, i hope! hahaha.
i have been browsing around and based from my researches, this would be the Party Plan:
- theme : jungle safari
- venue : at the park or home
- decorations : green, brown and yellow inspired, animal standees, luminaries (if venue's in a park)
- food : BBQ, hotdog on stick, spicy chicken, lasagna
- desserts : choco-covered mallows, chocolate cake, Jelly-O's, buko pandan
- give-aways : mugs (adults) and lunch boxes (kids) - haha. yep, i already bought these!
- attire : request the kids to wear white shirt and khaki shorts/pants
- games :
- kiddie games -
- adult games -
- i need to find a perfectly moist chocolate cake recipe.
- i need to learn how to cook lasagna.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
months have passed.. lots of things happened to me personally... and the same things are happenning over and over again. para lang akong nakikipaglokohan sa buhay. hehe. anyway, what's new? here goes:
the not-so-bad news:
the not-so-bad news:
- we had our vacation last june to august in Manila. it was just me, lance and ate bel. it wasn't a vacation for me and lance actually because lance got sick most of the time. me on the other hand, was so dead tired. =( good thing i had a chance to have a good laugh with old friends from HS before we leave for UAE. i never laughed that hard for such a long while. God, i missed being carefree. :D
- i'm still working with the same company. no change in work status or bonus or whatsoever. it's been a long time, really! no good thing is coming my way. =(
- already lodged our visa application. somehow, i want to start a new life. yeah, yeah. i don't think i need to explain further. let's just say, things 'round here is still the same. i just wish that life will be kinder to us when we transfer. i hope and pray that i may be able to find a new job right away. sana, so the moving on will be easier.
- i am having financial difficulty nowadays. it was because of the expenses we have incurred with the vacation, the house repair (see below), an investment and the increased cost of living in the UAE combined. however, i am not that sad about this because i know for a fact that i am far more blessed than most people. budgetting lang talaga ang katapat nito and i have been lousy with that. i'll make this my new year's resolution. oopps..! na naman????!!! hahaha.
the somewhat-good-news:
- things about my migration plans are falling into places. just having a long wait for the final verdict. hopefully, i do succeed on this. if not, will opt for plan B. at ano naman yun??!! eh di ang magpaka-suicidal dito sa UAE. hehe.
- lance is growing up to be such a smart boy. may pinagmanahan talaga!!! haha. at less than 2.5 year old, he already memorized the alphabet, knows the days of the week and the months in a year. you can refer to my multiply site for the video showcasing his prowess. (http://myl33n.multiply.com)
- i was able to have my Cabuyao mini-house renovated. yun nga lang, nabaha naman with the Ondoy Typhoon. hay, ang malas talaga. anyway, the damage is still not as grabe as the ones in Manila. but just the same, it spoiled my newly repaired little house. =(
- busy with a new hobby. photography!! hehe. i'm attending a basic photography course nowadays. at least, such an activity keeps my sanity.
- i am healthy despite occasional backpains, headaches and dizziness. i know, i lack sleep. i just don't sleep peacefully these days. maybe i am bothered, stress
ed, drained?? i need a vacation really. pano naman yun eh kailangan ko ngang mag-budget. hayzzzzzzzz.....
i hope to be on track again and share my daily life, feelings and dealings...to the world out there who doesn't even know me. who doesn't even care that i exist. basta lang. i will try to be more visible, more vocal, more open... whether you like it.. or you like it!!! ngahahaha.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
made a yummy spaghetti and a delicious home-made pizza. marvin said, it almost taste like domino's, except that i forgot to add the pineapple bits! hehehe. anyway, he's still happy for the simple dinner that i prepared. happy birthday!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
i told myself that career will not be my priority anymore. however, for some weeks i have been going home late, working my butt off to finish lab activities for these people. when a professor approached me and talked to me about that training, i thought that somehow my efforts were recognized. but with the news that i received today, i was wrong. i am so disappointed and pissed off. the training that i was hoping to get was not granted to me. kainis. what is more disappointing was the thought that my superiors were not that supportive of my professional development. another department valued me more pa. pramis. i felt this way before and i did something i never regret. will it happen again?! i dunno. basta, for today... all i know is that i'll go home at 4 pm sharp. anyway, my efforts were not valued. hindi ko naman research yung mga yun. hmp.
Monday, May 04, 2009
i am so behind schedule as per my plans last month. dami talagang ginagawa and lab requests are falling like thunderstorm!!! =( anyhow, for some updates see below...
- i just lodged our immigrant visa application today. =) however, i still have to upload supporting documents. the good news is that i was able to lodge before my 35th birthday and the bad news is, i have a new debt. i paid my credit card dues yesterday and now i have a new one! haha. wala pang 24 hours may bago na namang utang. ngahaha.
- a professor offered me a training slot. he said he'll ask my boss's approval which i am very hopeful he'll give. it'll be in Germany for five days. great opportunity noh?! hay, sana nga ay matuloy.
- halos malunod na ako sa labworks. professors and students are behind my back, not to mention some special requests from other agencies. time to yell.... DARNA!!!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
work is piling up big time! hay naku! before i finish a task, two or more additional tasks will be handed over. kumusta naman yun?! i wanna cry out loud, "look i only have two hands!" to my colleagues who think that they are the only ones who are working hard.
what's more frustrating is, i have lots of personal goals that i need to do and i am already so behind schedule of accomplishing them as i render an extra hour or two at the office. ggrrr... i am chasing deadlines while lab engineers are passing their batons to me. ka-gigil!
as for my list of MAJOR things to do for the next couple of months:
- 3rd to 4th wk of April - research, research, research
- end of April - submit state sponsorship and DIAC applications.
- 1st to 2nd wk of May - make philippine vacation itinerary and plans.
- 3rd to 4th wk of May - planning for Angels@Work activity.
- 1st to 2nd wk of June - vacation preps
hindrances and solutions:
- slow internet browsing - i need a new laptop!!!
- lost calls (ahihi) - i need a new mobile phone. =( a 100-dirham worth is fine with me. i just need something to make and take calls without automatic hanging-up. a donor will be appreciated. :D
- insufficient hours in a day - drink more coffee. make-believe that a day is actually 48 hours, so today is still yesterday and tomorrow's still today.
- lack of money - this is indirectly a hindrance. hihi. having more will surely help smoothen out executions of plan nos. 1 to 5.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
after two months and 3 days of endless waiting, i finally received my qualification assessment from Engineers Australia (EA). the verdict... they recognized my educational attainment and assessed me as a Professional Chemical Engineer! ahihi.
when hubby and i, have our little payabangan's, i always get a beating for not having a PRC license. pero ngayon, may pangtapat na ako sa kanya... bwahahaha!!!
my competency report did paid off! i was actually hesistant to apply for an assessment in that category because of not having the PRC license and at the same time, working currently as a lab technician. however, my co-forumers in http://www.philippines.com.au/ adviced me to aim high (thank you guys and gals! thank you EA assessors!). true enough... as long as one can showcase that he/she works and thinks like a professional (ahem), EA will rank you as one.
never have i opened a snail mail with such clumsiness, except with the EA's mail. sobrang kakakaba and nakaka-tense. but then, this news revived back my crashing self-confidence and gave it a little push. now that i have 2 tasks done (right!), 2 more to go towards that great australian dream. i'm so happy... happy... happy...
now it's time for step no. 3... aarrrgghhhh.....
Saturday, April 11, 2009
i have been in long hibernation from playing tennis and playing again last saturday made my muscles and joints tweak again. super uber busy the past months with birthday and assessment preps, kaya napabayaan ko na ang aking tennis dream. anyway, i'm back with a new set of playmates.
and what happened to coach molly and coach ely?? coach molly's rather busy these days while coach ely doesn't want to play tennis if i don't fetch him with Candy. with that, i have no choice but to seek new playmates and we're having fun! =) see you guys again, tomorrow!
Friday, April 10, 2009
here's a super-duper delayed post regarding lance's little einstein-themed 2nd birthday. it was a thursday and we gave a simple dinner to our friends in our home. aside from that fact that lance's birthday fell on a Holy Week, we also deemed it more practical to celebrate simply as we shall be having our vacation soon. my hubby is against having games as it was Maundy Thursday. hindi naman ganun ka-strict ang observance ng Holy Week dito, but my hubby wanted it to be less noisy. with that, i have to let go of the program and games that i prepared. anyway, marami pa namang birthdays to come. haha, parang sinabi ko na rin ito last year. =)
to make the birthday celebration go with the Little Einstein theme, i made effort to do as much DIYs as possible. here as some prepared items and comments:
1. invitations. i made two actually. one pop-up invitation and one online invitation. i am so happy with my online invitation because i was able to make the characters animate in the tune of the LE theme song. as for the pop-up invite, i got praised for it kasi hindi daw mukhang hand-made. :)
1. invitations. i made two actually. one pop-up invitation and one online invitation. i am so happy with my online invitation because i was able to make the characters animate in the tune of the LE theme song. as for the pop-up invite, i got praised for it kasi hindi daw mukhang hand-made. :)
quincy, annie, june, leo, rocket and lance!
2. tarp-kuno. hehe. i designed it using Photoshop (am loving it already!) and originally planned to have it printed from a shop. however, kuya ely printed it in A1-size. super-tipid! hehe. what's so nice about it eh, siya ang nag-offer na mag-print. he asked me to send him some of Lance's photo to be put up during the event. being a girl scout that i am, syempre yung tarp design na ginawa ko ang ni-send ko. may bonus pa, he also printed out a nice big photo of lance. i really appreciate unsolicited help more than anything else. thanks again! as per jihan's words, dahil dyan may check ka! =)
3. CD give-away. i made all the designs for the inside and outside cover with PS also. a GT sis, gave me the link for the outside CD cover. then for the CD sticker, i used a PS template that i downloaded a month back, na kapag dun mo gagawin yung PS design mo, may guide na for you to cut. panalo yung template na yun! it made my life easier. hihi.
4. cupcakes. i made cheese and banana-flavored cupcakes, topped it with cream cheese frosting and decorated with themed-toothpick topper that i also made myself. yung cake/cupcake tree ay pinagawa ko (Jihan's friend). lumulundo nga eh, kasi lawanit lang yun. pero nilagyan ko na lang ng blocks na laruan ni lance sa ilalim para makaya nya yung weight ng lahat. hehe. i also covered and decorated it to make it more presentable.
5. lootbags. i made candy bags for girls and boys to take home. stuffed with candy goodies, a rubik's cube and a pencil. i made sure that the bag will be colorful and a placed a sticker-tag on it to make it personalized.
6. decor. hindi na-picture-an yung decor that much because hubby's in-charge of that. and what happens when i assign something at him? hay. anyway, i placed banderitas along the entrance / hallway, then i used the shoe cabinet to hold the give-aways. i also have posted cut-out letters on the wall saying, they need to pick one toy before they go. then, as guests enter the living room, balloons can be seen lined up with the number "2" printed on it and some more balloons were placed here and there. a happy birthday banner hung in one side of the room, too. ni-career ko talaga the night before ang pagpe-prep up ng place. sarap mag-decorate! at least, eventhough the celebration's "quiet" for a party, the decoration made it a less gloomy occassion.
7. give-aways. i bought the give-aways from various gift shops here in the UAE. aliw nga ako because i was still able to keep up with the theme despite having no DIVIlandia here. i bought musical istrument toys, some things that are educational, rocket-shaped toys.. all according to the theme. sobrang aliw ako sa pen that is shaped like a microphone, the harmonica, photo stand na merong rocket at trumpet design around. quincy na quincy talaga ang dating. hihi.
8. food. mostly, i ordered. except for the spaghetti, hotdog sticks and the chicken shanghai. we also have fried chicken, fresh lumpia, relleno, beef and fruit platter. we're supposed to have a chocolate fountain but something went wrong with the chocolate. sayang nga eh, ang sarap pa naman nung chocolate. the consistency of the chocolate failed me. anyway, i just had a bowl to put the chocolate there to have a fondue instead.
8. cake. nope, hindi ako nag-bake nito. but i made the design kaya nilagay ko sa list ng DIY. it's an edible print-out of the design i drew. i actually have another cake design but i was not able to have it made because the bakeshop is charging me 600aed for that! okay lang siya??!!! anyway, with a less expensive cake parang nanghihinayang pa rin akong i-cut. hehe. the taste was so-so. feeling ko nga, mas masarap pa kung ako ang nag-bake nito. harharhar. feeling-yera!
the celebration's really simple but i hope the guests went home full. it also made me happy to receive good comments about the preps that i made. F for effort talaga ako for this. bihira kasi ang nagte-take effort sa kiddie birthday preparations dito sa UAE. siguro meron man, yung merong extra budget for such. pero kung wala, rely ka talaga sa talent mo sa pag-d-DIY. hehe. behind all these, i am glad that amidst the busy-ness and cramming, i received unexpected help from people that i least expect it from.
again, happy birthday baby lance!! wishing you a happy life, little one.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
i made carrot cupcakes last night and amazingly, it doesn't taste weird. haha. i only made half of the recipe as i was worried that it would taste awful. i have never tasted carrot cakes or carrot juice before, so i don't know what to expect. anyhow, the final product isn't as orangy as i expected it to be. the recipe was courtesy of a GT sister. i was able to make around 19 cuppies from it. i'm glad that i used the fine grater so one cannot really make out that i put carrots in it. ang galing nga eh. the recipe comprises more carrots than flour. can you imagine how healthy it is?!! thumbs up kay habibi pero kay lance.. i still think he can taste the carrots. hehehe.
as for the frosting.. hmm, yun ang hindi successful. =( i made cream cheese frosting (cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and vanilla). ewan ko kung bakit hindi siya nag-se-set?? has it something to do with the brand of the cream cheese kaya? i used kraft naman. uuggghhh... will try to use a different brand next time. ayun, may cream cheese spread kami sa bahay tuloy... na kulay BLUE. bwahahaha.
Monday, March 16, 2009
i feel like blogging about living in the UAE for a friend of mine who's feeling homesick right now. yeah, living away from home is trading your family and friends there in the phils against a simple OFW-life. i used to feel so low and homesick when i came here because i have no work and all i have to do all day was stare at my brother's four-walled room. but things have changed when i finally got a job, made myself useful and earned some dirhams. hehe. sabi na nga ba, shopping lang katapat nun! hahaha.
kidding aside.. i think, adjusting to new environment far different from home is easy for me because i have always lived away from home every since i went to college until the time i went to work. dormitory has been my second home that's why i can readily adjust my way of thinking and embrace what the new place has to offer be it less convenient than my comfortable secluded bedroom. yes, i do feel homesick at times. kaya nga, eventhough Batangas was way too far to commute to everyday from Taguig, i still tried to commute daily to and fro, di bale nang makatabi ko ang mga manok sa bus that came all the way from Bicol. ngahahaha.
now that i am an OFW in the UAE, i rarely entertain the thought of homesickness. i could be in a different case because i have a new family now and they are with me. however, for the others who are without their blood relatives with them, here are the things (i think!) that will make you love UAE despite the many good things you have to trade this with:
- you work your butt off, but is still justly compensated and you don't have to share your salary with the BIR.
- you get to work or go home in 30 minutes or less (for most workers).
- there's independence! you get to do what you wanted to do as long as it's not against their law. =)
- you will learn to be responsible as you decide on your own and suffer the consequences all by yourself, too.
- you have access to different types of food and brands (haha, at gawin bang panglima yung pagkain talaga). not only that, you can actually buy it if you want to. for some that are really costly, you can buy it by saving from a few months salary instead of saving for a year or two.
- you live in a building and your house/flat have less dust to clean up. hihi.
- you don't complain of how expensive an LPG or gasoline is.
- you have a water heater! nice ito, especially for someone like me who can't bathe with cold tap water. =)
- just by seeing the number and the quality of cars on the street, feeling mo, mayaman ka na rin. hehe.
- you are spared from mga nakakainis na relatives, inlaws or neighbors. =)
- you can talk to your kid in english without your neighbor thinking na ang yabang-yabang mo. yun nga lang, nosebleed ka talaga kung ipagpapatuloy mo yun. hehe.
- aminin... hindi ganun kabigat ang trabaho sa office saka parang ang tali-talino mo dito. hihi.
- you can save for your next trip and you can get visa approval easier.
- you can send money back home instead of borrowing from your parents or siblings. may bonus pa, you can send christmas gifts in big balikbayan boxes. isn't it something to look forward to? enjoy kaya mag-ipon ng kung anong anik-anik to toss into that brown box.
- lagi kang naka-aircon. you don't get that sweaty feeling na parang mamasa-masang pandesal (i miss pandesal, though).
- walang baha. sunshiney 350 days of the year!!! 5 days for occasional rainshowers and 10 days of sandstorms.
- your pasttime as a single person may include malling, bowling or clubbing. as a yummy mummy/daddy, you may be busy shopping, baking or perfecting a dish at home, go to gym, engage in a hobby, etc.
- you have officemates of different nationalities that no matter how weird they are, at least may excuse sila.
- you can sleep late at night and still catch your bus or taxi early in the morning. okay lang, because you can still take your breakfast in the office while infront of a computer. makakapag-blog ka pa nga eh. minsan nga, may bonus ka ring kotse thay you pay in installments or if you can any luckier, a car issued by your company. kung hindi ka naman talaga sinuswerte!
- you can stretch your 24 hours. hindi ka umuuwi ng bahay na parang basang-sisiw. you can go to work and can still have time to go to the grocery, cook, watch teleseryes, mess around with your kid, chat...etc. all in one day.
- hindi ka paranoid to have your celfone snatched, be kidnapped, have your throat slashed, be mugged.. while you walk the streets daytime or nighttime.
- you can have leisure walks along the beach everyday, if you want to.
- you don't need to present many documents when you want to apply for a credit card. credit card companies actually looks for you.
- girls or ladies get separate queues or seats in public transports.
- less pasyalan, less gastos. hehe.
- no dogs to be afraid of on the streets.
- hardly any flies, ants, cockroaches or rats at home or in the vicinity. except yung mga tao that resembles like them. peace!!
- no need to worry of stray bullets during New Year's Day or any police rub out on ordinary days.
- you get to eat chicken almost everyday, as in, malapit ka na ngang tubuan ng pakpak eh. uy! free ride home na yun eventually! ngehehe.
- you get to use your passport bago pa ito mag-expire. =)
this list may seem "mababaw" but these are the positive things that can help one to see the brighter side of things. let us enjoy our stay here as long as we can. hindi naman tayo welcome dito for long eh. we will eventually go home where our hearts truly belong. kaya love the place, love the situation while it is still loving us back.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
finally! i was able to cook paella. :) i've been planning to cook this for so many weeks but i was able to make one just yesterday. so far, okay naman ang lasa, lasang paella with the absence of the crab and shells. i only put crab meat kasi with slices of pork, chicken, shrimps and squid. sayang naman kung lalagyan ko ng real crab and then hindi magiging successful ang experiment. i also added vegetable bits and pieces to make it more colorful. color makes the dish more appetizing to the eyes. hihi. in fairness, madali lang pala siya gawin, mabusisi lang. dami kasing dapat hiwain and until now, i don't get it why saffron is that expensive. my reward, both marvin and lance liked it. :)
Monday, March 09, 2009
hindi naman dinadala ni marvin yung car sa construction site dahil nga ginagamit ko si candy sa umaga. pero kahapon, holiday at dahil sinabi ko sa kanya na dadaan ako ng office saglit to do something sa lab that needs overnight drying (sayang naman kasi yung araw kung ngayon ko pa lang gagawin yun at ilalagay sa oven), he decided na dalhin na lang yung sasakyan at ihatid ako. around 2PM kami nakarating ng office ko tapos nagpunta siya ng site sa mussafah area habang nagwo-work ako. i called him up around 4 PM and asked him to fetch me up. he came around 5PM, we passed by in one of their construction sites in the city. on our way home, sometime before 6PM, tinatawagan siya ng mga kasamahan nya na nasa sa site nila sa mussafah. hinahanap siya kasi yung van nila ihahatid na yung mga kasama nya pabalik ng city. usually, kasama rin siya sa mga hinahatid pabalik. sabi nya, hindi nga siya sasabay kasi nga may dala siyang sasakyan. Binaba nya ako sa isang grocery along hamdan, tapos siya nagpunta sa opisina nila. bandang 8 PM tumawag siya sa akin, papunta siya ng Mafraq Hospital. yung van na supposedly ay darating ng city, na-aksidente. 3 patay, isa dun yung friend/ofismate nyang pinoy. dead on the spot. kawawa talaga. hindi nga rin mapakali si marvin kagabi kasi hindi nya alam kung paano sasabihin sa mag-ina ni Lito na wala na yung asawa nya. kagabi, sinabihan ako ni marvin na hindi ko na raw pwedeng dalhin papunta ng office si candy. sabi ko, bakit ako nadamay?? eh kasi daw kaya na-aksidente yung van dahil bago yung driver. natakot mabalo agad ang mokong. anyway, hindi pa nya alam ang full details kung ano ang nangyari kasi nga hindi raw sila pinapasok ng pulis kahapon sa hospital room. basta ang alam nya lang, 3 sa mga kasamahan nya ang dead on the spot, tapos the rest ay ginagamot pa. hay, life… just like that. nakakalungkot isipin. Lito's looking forward pa naman sa kanyang pag-uwi ng pinas (he resigned already sa company nila pero tinatapos nya na lang yung naumpisahan niyang projects) either this month or the next month thereafter. kakalungkot...
the only thing na ipinagpapasalamat namin ay dahil nagmasipag ako kahapon to render extra time at nagpahatid ng office. if not for that, he could have been in that accident as well. with all that happened, he seriously asked me to understand him why he's preventing me to drive. malumanay naman yung pakiusap niya kaya hindi na ako nagpaka-sutil. hehe.
Friday, March 06, 2009
it's just a month before Lance's birthday and i wasn't even half-done with my DIY projects. for this year kasi, we decided to have his birthday celebration at home na lang and have it as simple as possible. financial crisis din kasi kami, like the rest of the world. =( but despite of that, hindi naman ako papayag na walang theme ang birthday celebration ni lance. hihi. here are some of my plans and updates. however, baka hindi ko ma-execute ito lahat kasi sobrang wala nang time at hindi ko maisingit sa schedule ko kasi sobrang busy sa trabaho. kainis nga eh.
Theme : Little Einstein
- Invitation, Lootbag & Tarp - i have drafted the invites already but i wasn't able to print it out yet. hindi ako maka-timing sa office. hihi. i also have to scout for lootbags. i was thinking of having a plastic colored bag and just print a sticker outside. yun nga lang, wala talaga akong makita nito dito. waaah. another bad news is, i don't have a tarp design yet. waaah ulet... cramming na ito talaga!!!
- Food - i have a menu list in mind already, which is a typical birthday party food. wala pa nga lang akong nakakausap who will cook it. however, i plan to cook the children's food myself and bake the cupcakes. as for the cuppies, i have already printed the toppers. =) hindi ko palang nala-laminate. i still need to bake and perfect the chocolate and cheese-flavored cupcakes pa. haha, under experimentation pa pala! then, i'm still on a lookout for a cake supplier. i plan to buy a small one lang naman just to have something na pang-cake blowing. parang ayaw ko na kasi bumili sa La Baguette. we went there this afternoon and the saleslady wasn't that helpful in my inqueries. she made me feel na parang hindi ko afford yung cake nila. hmp. badtrip siya talaga.
- Decor - i plan to make balloonderitas, balloon pillars, building blocks and swags. i still need to buy balloon pieces and chinese paper for the swags. as for the blocks, dalawa pa lang ang nauuwi kong box galing sa opisina kaya hindi ko pa maumpisahan yung pagdi-DIY. hehe. pero nakabili na ako ng balloon sticks. yippee. 10 lang kasi hindi naman lahat ng bata ay mag-uuwi ng balloons eh.
- Entertainment - i plan to show Little Einstein movie on the background. i might also show an AVP, if time permits me to make one on time. if not, i might just have a creative area for the kids then some games. now, who will be our Emcee??? ewan ko lang kung may helping hand na mag-volunteer. hihi.
- Prizes & Give-away - of all these backlogs, dito lang ako happy. just today, i was able to discover a mala-divi store here in abu dhabi. yiipppee... a binocular toy, some rocket pocket gaming device, microphone pen, rubik's cube, a calculator, a study set, a musical set, and a twisted pencil set. ito ang mga happy finds ko today. hehe. i am still undecided if these will be direct-to-kids-type of prizes or if i will set up a mini-tiangge store. just like what my fellow GT sisses have done with their kiddos parties. bahala na si batman. =) as for the give-aways... i have drafted the CD cover already. CD and cover are still for printing though. i will give this to kids 3 y/o and below. kids 3 y/o and up will either have lootbags or take-home prizes. whatever.
these things are keeping me uber busy these days. aside from feeling physically, emotionally, financially and mentally drained, having this creative things to do somehow lighten things up. sana lang talaga ay matapos ko siya on time. *hopeful*
ooopss.. not to mention i have one on-going student research assistance, piles and piles of work backlogs, immigration research to do (and should be done before the month ends!), help marvin with his english exam review, outreach coordination with Phil-based friends and who knows what else will turn up one of these days???!!!!!!!! daig ko pa ang juggler. no, i am not complaining, i am just overwhelmingly pre-occupied.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Lately ko lang na-discover itong si Sissel, a Norwegian soprano. Galing ng boses! Hay. Kelan kaya ako makakapag-solo ng ganito.. ngehehe. Ang aga-aga ng topak. =)
Heto mga performances nya.. enjoy!
John Lennon's Imagine
heto with Josh Groban naman… version nila ng The Prayer
Auld Lang Syne
Sarah's Song
You'll Never Walk Alone
Somewhere Over The Rainbow
great voice and i definitely agree with the other fans that she looks fab as well. i still love Vienna Teng and Jewel, but Sissel's voice really... overly... sings way much, much heavenly. haha. and i'm saying that with Lola's accent. *winks*
Monday, February 09, 2009
second the motion talaga ako sa phrase na ito. =)
after 3 months of waiting for my duties and responsibilities document from PI and another month of waiting to have it notarized in the philippines, i finally completed having this document notarized a couple of days back. actually, i had the document notarized from an agency here in dubai since my uncle's lawfirm refused to do further notarization as they said that this final document was issued here. so, it's more apt that notarizations be done here. however, when i got back the said document from the Voitin Davis agency, it was notarized by an Australian solicitor. huh??!! heniweys..
i was able to run errands related to this submission amidst my work schedules (pa-eska-eskapo..hehe) and finally, EA received my documents today. now.. it's the dreaded 4 weeks of waiting for the results.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
i made banana and chocolate cupcakes for the weekend. hmm.. the verdict??!! my banana cupcakes were very good. taste, texture, shape... perfect and nuff said. =) as for the chocolate cupcakes... hmm, not chocolatey enough and it was not able to retain its shape not unlike the banana-flavored cuppies. still needs improvement pero lamang tiyan na rin! hihihi. next time, i will add more chocos.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
got this from my inbox today and it really made my day. mga lines ng pagsusuplada...ang kuleettt!!! hehehehe.
- On the first day of the Mango sale, the sister of myfriend was looking around and picked up a dress when a woman at the counter started screaming,"Put that down,that's mine!" The sister of my friend looked up, looked at the woman up and down, raised an eyebrow, and replied, "Excuse me. You are NOT small'".
- A supervisor once told a worker who has difficulty in understanding instructions, "Ang ulo, hindi lang yan pinapatong sa leeg, ginagamit din yan sa pag-iisip."
- A friend told another friend, "Naku, magme-make-up muna ako, baka magmukha akong yaya mo." The other friend replied, "Wag na, magmumukha ka lang yaya ko na naka-makeup. "
- I told my then boyfriend during a fight, "Even onyour smartest day, you're not half as smart as I am on my dumbest!"
- "Ako, I was born beautiful. Ikaw, you were justborn."
- A letter posted on a car windshield in UP:"Sir/madam, the parking space that we have reserved isfor the College Secretary, not for you. Guard."
- When I saw friend I haven't seen in a long time, she told me, "Grabe, lalo ka pang tumaba!". So I told her, "Ikaw din, lalo ka pang pumangit!"
- Pag sinisingitan ako sa pila, nagpaparinig ako. I say,"Ang pilang ito, according to beauty. Mga panget muna."
- From the movie She's The Man: "Girls with an ass like mine don't go out with boys with a face like yours."
- "Maliban sa mukha mo, ano pang problema mo?"
- I once told an officemate who kept on bragging about her new shoes, " Sale, right?"
- I pointed a "7 items or less" sign to a clueless pasosyal at the supermarket. She bitchily answered,"I can read!" Sabay irap. So I shot back with,"I know, but can you count?"
- "Tuwing nakikita kita, gusto ko mag-sorry sa eyes ko."
- "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be bitchy. It's an involuntary reaction whenever I encounter ugly people."
- Man: "Hey baby, what's your sign?"Woman: "Do not enter."
- Man: "how do you like your eggs in the morning?"Woman: "Unfertilized. "
- After receiving her pay slip and realizing how muchshe's paying for tax, a sosyal officemate exclaimed,"Ang mga poor ba nagbabayad din ng tax?"
- During a hike at Mt. Mayon , we had a maarte companion. When we ran out of water, our guide got us some from antural spring. The maarte girl said, "Dini-drink bayan?" I told her, "Bakit, sa inyo ba ang waterchinu-chew?"
- Overheard from 2 kids talking. Kid 1: "Lahat tayo galing kay Adam and Eve." Kid 2: "Hindi yan totoo. Sabi ng papa ko, galing tayo sa unggoy."Kid 1: "Hindi natin pinag-uusapan ang pamilya mo, kaya wag kang magulo!"
- A friend told his officemate: "I'm impressed. I've never encountered such a small mind inside such abig head before."
- Bading: (envying a girl na crush ng crush nya)"Isang butas lang ang lamang mo sa kin!"
- I was staring at an ugly bystander in their street. The ugly guy snapped, "Bakit ang sama mo makatingin?"I snapped back, "Eh bakit ang sama mo tignan?"
- A friend once told me, "Ang ganda mo!" I answered: "Thank you, sana ikaw rin."
- I told this to an ex: "I must admit you brought religion to my life. I never believed in hell till I met you."
- "When a cashier tells me she doesn't have change, I say: "At kaninong problema yun?"
- "Kung lahat ng tao galing sa unggoy, bakit ikaw, mukha kang kabayo?"
Sunday, February 01, 2009
this is one of the website links that is a sureball tear-jerker. it's a Manilyn Reynes lullaby entitled, Pasensiya Na. she referred to it last night in Wowowee and i was touched when she sung a few lines. she said that the song's a tribute to all working mothers around the world. kaya ayun, hinanap ko sa youtube and found myself teary-eyed in the middle of the day. hehe. i especially liked the part about a mother's promise before she decided to be a mother, that she will do anything in her power just to make sure that her child will not suffer any hardship. naka-relate ako. in general, ganun ang promises ng mga nanay talaga kaya they all deserve to be loved and respected. anyway, here's link to the musician's website. the youtube video even have lyrics for you to sing along. pero i-post ko na rin yung lyrics dito. atribida eh. hehe.
Pasensiya Na
pasensiya na, di ko kayo naipagluluto
almusal ninyo'y hindi ako'ng naghahanda
sa umaga hindi ako nagpapaligo
at ni minsa'y di nahatid sa inyong eskuwela.
pasensiya na, inyong damit naglalaba'y iba
di ko alam paborito ninyong meryenda
ang homework nyo, hindi ako katulong gumawa
pag may sakit, hindi ako nag-aalaga.
pasensiya na, ako ay palaging wala
pasensiya na, bihira tayong magkita
di nyo alam, lagi akong nag-aalala
ang puso ko ay nariyan, kahit ako'y wala.
hindi ako pinalaki sa karangyaan
naranasan kong kumalam ang aking tiyan
kupas na uniporme aking pinagtiyagaan
butas ang sapatos papuntang eskwelahan.
bago ako nagdesisyong maging isang ina,
pinangako kong hinding-hindi kayo magdurusa
ang buhay nyo ay magiging laging masagana
gagawin ko ang lahat ng aking makakaya.
pasensiya na, ako ay palaging wala
pasensiya na, bihira tayong magkita
di nyo alam, lagi akong nag-aalala
ang puso ko ay nariyan, kahit akoy wala.
pasenisya na at tv ang taga-aliw tuwina
ang gatas nyo, hindi ako ang nagtitimpla
darating ang panahon, trabaho'y tapos na
pangako ko mga anak, tayo'y magsasama.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
baking has been my "comfort" activity eversince. eventhough i am too tired from work yesterday and i still need to do an errand, pinagpaliban ko muna and checked my cupboards for any available baking ingredients and decided to just bake instead of going out. ewan ko ba, my workload is adding stress to my already stressful life that i just feel the need to whisk. hehe.
i remember baking like a thousand cookies back in 'pinas, trying to perfect a recipe and in which my family had to endure eating for weeks. may sunog, may sing-tigas ng bato, may nakaka-diabetes sa tamis, may matabang... pero in fairness, eventually meron rin namang nalutong perfect. hehe. although now that it has been ages, i have forgotten that recipe and had to start all over again.
with the ingredients that i still have at home and with all the printed recipes i had from the internet, i chose the vanilla cupcake that i got from a GT thread about baking. the recipe has been a tad confusing because it mentioned egg whites and whole eggs separately but as to when to put the whole eggs was not mentioned in the procedure. with that, it turned out that i have used whole eggs instead and missed the eggwhites. i got worried that the cupcakes would be too hard if i will put lots of eggs that's why after putting the whole eggs, i decided to cross out the egg whites. anyhow, with the slight variation i made with the recipe, the cupcake turned out good! =) tsamba na naman! hahaha.
it was my first time to make cupcakes. practice ko ito for lance's birthday. =) by the way, i am happy with the cupcake pan that i bought from home center and the cupcake paper with moss and lime green color. springtime-theme kumbaga while the pan performed well. wala lang, i was just happy that i don't have messy pans after. hehe. yep, i think i will be using this recipe over and over again. however, i will try to reduce the sugar next time. it's too sweet for me. although hubby finds it just right naman being a sweet-toothed person. but next time if i will put icing on top, i think i need to cut down the sugar a little bit. what can i say??? am so happy, with my cuppies. =)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
i finally built the courage to ask my superiors regarding my annual leave dates and it was approved. yippeee!! it'll be on june 12 to august 8. grabe, almost 2 months. ano kayang gagawin namin nun sa pinas. haha. with that huge GASTOS coming, marvin is opposed to throwing lance a 2nd birthday party. =( waah. so sad ako. anyhow, i will try my best to make his birthday special pa rin despite the no-budget. hmm... i was thinking of baking some cupcakes for him instead of ordering it from the bakeshop. kayanin kaya ng powers ko?! hihi. eventhough lance's birthday comes prior to our vacation, busy na rin ako sa pag-iisip ng aming activities para maka-pang-raket ng baon.
anyway, for our philippine vacation some activities that i have in mind are:
- fix legal documents (SSS)...
- meet with friends and their babies!! (pepot, marianne, ada, flor, jen siddayao, stanley, jen arigo, josie)...
- ipasyal si lance (MOA, Manila Ocean Park, intramuros, luneta, avilon zoo, pansol, enchanted kingdom, tagaytay, Subic) sa mga pasyalang pambata...
- pumunta sa mga must-see-must-go places (168, market-market, the fort, mall-hopping sa ATC, SM, serendra, greenhills, greenbelt, lahat ng green!! hihi.)
- mamasyal sa mga lugar na ako nalang yata ang hindi pa nakakapunta (100 islands...100 pa rin kaya?, puerto galera, vigan, corregidor). hay, mapuntahan ko naman kaya???
- kumain ng mga na-miss kong food... (in dampa, binondo, etc.).
- magpa-spa..hihi. mag-hike. mag-outreach.
- mamili ng pwedeng ilako pabalik ng abu dhabi. ngahaha. mag-buy-and-sell ba. teka, seryoso pala ako.
- mag-training... ng baking!! haha. san naman kaya ako kukuha ng course na ito?? at humanap ng cupcake stand at cake stand na nakita ko sa Spinneys. ang cute, promise!
- magluto, maglaba, maglinis ng bahay...hahahaha.
if i will have my way and i could change my job this instance, i'll have three choices. yeah, i still have a chance to shift career but given the global financial crisis and financial stability to consider, i guess i'll sulk a little bit longer where i am at right now. but nonetheless, if my fairy godmother appears and grants me a wish to change jobs without sacrificing the future, i'll take the plunge right there and then. :)
My Three Wished-to-be Jobs
- Tourguide - wala lang. i wanna travel for free but i won't qualify as a flight stewardess kaya heto ang naisip kong next best thing. hihi. i also like the idea of knowing the place and its history, so that i will have something to say sa mga nagto-tour. plus i get the chance to say my recommendations and suggestions about the tour with willing listeners at the other end. kaya lang, baka malugi yung tour operator sa akin kasi puro budget-friendly ang suggestions ko. =)
- Crime Lab Scientist - dala ng aking pagka-addict sa CSI series. hehe. plus the fact that i am familiar with some of the analysis and equipments that they use, makes me dream that i'll have my chance to be employed in a related job. wag lang taga-embalsamo huh! haha.
- Ice Cream Scientician - naks. i just learned of this job courtesy of the TV program, How Its Made where Ben & Jerry's factory with their dedicated ice cream scientician was featured. ito talaga ang job na to-die-for... the title as well as the job functions...ang galing! imagine being paid to formulate ice cream flavors?! how cool, di ba? sarap pa nun! hehe. well, ang next best thing that i could become would be to QC the production line in an ice cream plant. pwede na rin! ngehehehe.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
right after dinner's, me and lance's bonding time. tamang kulitan lang. tonight's nothing different. we either play around, watch tv or read his books in the living room.
mai : (scanning lance's book about animals) lance, what's this?
lance : (holds the book and looked at the pictures but no comment)
mai : (points to the animals one by one) this is a cat... this is a kitten... this is a dog... this is a puppy...
lance : pup-py (he pronounced this with accent. haha. couldn't describe it pero so cute.)
mai: (so amazed!) correct, puppy!!!
lance: (points to the picture of a puppy) pup-py...
mai : (claps her hand) very good!!! puppy!! what is this again? (points to the same picture to make sure the answer sticks to lance's mind)
lance: pup-py...
mai: (claps again) very good talaga!!
lance: (points again to the picture of a puppy) pup-py...
mai: (claps again) very good si lance!!
lance: (smiles and then went to the tv to switch the channel)
ate bel came....
mai: (calling) lance, lance. come here. show tita bel the puppy!!!
lance: (comes over and flips to the page of the book)
mai: (points to the picture of the puppy) what is this baby??
lance: (silent)
mai: (points again to the picture of the puppy) lance, what is this??
lance: (looks at mommy but said nothing)
mai: (points to the pictures of the animals) lance, show off to tita and tell her what is this...this is a dog.. then this is a...???
lance: (silent)
mai: (points again!! to the picture of the puppy) lance, tell tita bel what is this?? (mad na)
lance: (dedma ulet)
mai: (galit na) lance!!!
lance: (dedma talaga...went over his other toys and played)
mai: (inis) hay naku, si lance talaga!!!
in short, lance's the boss in the house. if he doesn't want to do/say it, nobody can force him to do so. hay, iskul bukol talaga itong baby ko. hehehe.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
it was a fine saturday morning. i texted kuya ely in order to cancel our tennis game because i need to see a doctor and take lance on marina mall for his playschooling day. my original plan was to drop off lance and ate bel to the mall first, then i'll go the clinic by myself. however, marvin said that i take both of them with me to the clinic first, so that we all go together to the mall afterwards. he insisted that i should take the electra road as what he suggested last weekend. with that, i know that i should comply because he'll really be pissed if i don't take his driving suggestions. kesa naman masisi pa...
lance was really on high spirits while he is getting ready to go out. he's actually speaking in russian. hehe. well, he sounds like one with his excited babytalk. we left the house 20 minutes after 11AM with lance and ate bel at the backseat.
i was travelling at around 60-80kph. changed lane only once and stayed where i am at after that. we just passed the airport road-electra junction when viola!!! we were hit from the back with a 4WD. oh shit! actually, i was so pissed with the car infront of me as it suddenly cut me off from the right. it was only after i went down from the car that i realized how damaged candy's behind was. para siyang na-gang rape with her situation. wawa nga siya eh. i was shocked for a moment but i was mad more. more on why i wasn't able to get out of that sitation and how slow i reacted with the event. i checked how's lance at the back and was so relieved that he's okay. thanks God talaga that we were still in one piece though shaken. i called marvin as i dunno the police's or emergency number. yeah, yeah. we were sandwiched between a gigantic 4WD and a chevy. the 4WD lost it's right headlight while the chevy got slight scratches. si candy lang ang napuruhan. grrr.....
i had a verbal beating from marvin as he's accusing me of not taking an extra care. i did naman eh. =( i have played the scene on my mind and i just couldn't imagine why i messed up bigtime. it took me sometime to fall asleep that night. i am so angry at myself for putting my baby's life in danger. i am sad with the accusations thrown at me and in which i am starting to believe. but with what happened, it came so clear to me that in just split seconds lives can be lost... i am ready to go... i can never manage to lose the one person that matters to me most...
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
- BUDDY OF THE YEAR? - Kuya Ely
- LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD(longest friend) - Maridel
- NEWCOMER AWARD - COOLEST NEWEST FRIEND? - Jihan
- NEW DA BARKADS AWARD - Abu Dhabi GirlTalkers
- NAGBABALIK NA FRIEND AWARD - Vincent
- HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR? - Sept and Nov
- LOW POINT OF THE YEAR? - January
- BEST HOLIDAY? - only had one mini-holiday, so yun lang. the fujairah trip with my family
- YOUR SONG FOR 2008 - Sissel's Song
- MOVIE FOR 2008? - Twilight
- BIGGEST CRUSH? - itago na lang sa codename na Garfield. haha. parang highschool eh.
- WHO WAS YOUR VALENTINE? - duh?? i stopped celebrating this, dahil wala naman akong napapala.
- WHAT WERE YOU FOR HALLOWEEN? - ordinary me, waiting for the extra-ordinary ghost. hehe.
- RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR? - Zaatar sumthing
- BOOK OF THE YEAR? - the little blue book i got for my birthday
- GIFT OF THE YEAR? - Jen's teddy bear seatbelt ornament
- BEST DECISION MADE THIS YEAR? - to start the migration application steps
- WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR? - be a better person
- "WISHED I COULD DO IT AGAIN" WISH? - fall in love and magpa-spa. ngehehe.
- TV SHOW OF THE YEAR? - CSI
- MOST LOYAL FRIEND OF 2008? - Jovy
- BIGGEST CHANGE OF THE YEAR? - become a fighter
- BIGGEST DOUCHEBAG AWARD? - her name's KAREN and i don't care kahit mabasa niya dahil for sure hindi nya alam kung ano ibig sabihin nito. bwahahaha.
- NEW YEAR RESOLUTION/s? - learn to accept the ugly things in my life, try not to be affected, respect myself once more, stop being so gullible, be patient, save, save, and save
- Most Memorable moment for 2008? getting my IELTS and driving exam results. =)
jovy, our admin assistant, is also my very first friend here in the UAE. she genuinely cares, wishes the good things for me and extends help whenever i need one. actually, lagi siyang nagbo-volunteer. she and her husband has been so good to me and to lance. as in, she makes up for my sister's absence. she's my "ate" here and i'm so thankful. whenever i get into panic mode, i need personal advice or a cooking guidance, i can always rely on her. sa office naman, she saves my butt when i get into trouble. hihi. we share new finds, new recipes and even future plans or frustrations. kapag may problema naman ako, i could never think of an instance when she refused to help me kahit financially pa yun. basta...i will be forever grateful to her friendship. we clicked, maybe because we share the same values, that is in keeping good hard-to-find kind of friends.
in the same way, when she needs help, i try so much to extend help as much as i can. i am also genuinely happy for all the good things and blessings she's having and i get sad when she's sad and bothered, too. when she shares her stories of happiness, sobrang happy rin ako. just like today, she shared how surprised and happy she is after receiving her habibi's wedding gift anniversary. after 13 years of marriage, they are still sweet and both takes effort to surprise each other thereby keep their love burning. i really look up to this couple. they deserve each other as they are both good persons. with that, they have three beautiful kids, raised with love.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
it has been a week that i have been bringing Candy (our little red car) to and from the office. so far, i have improved a little. haha. however, the good news is... she's still scratch-free, reddish and a beauty. =) as to how much i have improved and still needs to improve???....
the plus points:
- i now leave the parking lot with the handbrake off. yeah, yeah. it's not an excuse, but there's always a first time. ;)
- i now get on the car without the chills. added a little confidence (and positive thinking!) that i will not get into an accident when i'm on the road.
- my luck always work on me each time i search for a 45 degrees parking. yippee!
- i now learn that i should queue in gas stations with the dispenser on the left and not on my right. hihi. buti mabait yung pinoy gasoline boy at ni-try i-extend yung hose ng gas para sa akin..
- i can now change lane without being honked at or a near-death experience. =)
- and finally, i now gained some guts to honk on drivers like me. ngehehe.
the minus points:
- 90 degrees parking is still a hit or miss thing. any kind of reverse parking is a big no-no.
- i am still estimating the distance if Candy can fit or not. kulang na lang eh bumaba ako't sukatin ng metro. hehe.
- i am still a "potato" sometimes and cars behind still honk at me. why don't they build their own highway???!!! ggrrr...
- i still need to be familiar with the streets.
- i still don't take roads with roundabouts. hindi bale nang ma-late basta walang roundabout. hehe.
- still no night driving please. yep, takot ako sa dilim. =)
- i still cannot see where all those damn cameras are located!!!
nope, i still don't bring Lance along when i am driving. he's safer at home. however, i now accept friends who wish to tag along as they have lived a full life already. hehe.
;;
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)