Forever...

blessed, not Forever 21! :) That is how I truly feel right now and I am really quite very happy! I was never really an avid reader when I was young but when I reached high school. I was always amazed with how people continually read their own books and just have their own world (meant in a nice way) and just stay like that for a very long time.

That image of a person reading a certain book inspired me to do the same and I eventually fell in love with reading. Though I am picky with the books I read, I still love doing it! ^.^

From Top to Bottom: Quotes in Quiz 1-4, Tuesdays with Morrie, The World's Longest Sudoku Puzzle,
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, The Smart Guide to the Bible Series, Life Picture Puzzle,
and The Christmas Carol :)

All those for only Php 1030!!! From Booksale! <3 p="p">Have a great week ahead guys!! another Monday to Friday this month of October!! ^.^

With Enough Patience....

.... comes great things! :) I finally got my permit stating that I am fit or healthy enough to accept my job! ^.^ I am quite happy for this because I have been going back to that laboratory for 3 times and it isn't that much of an ease for my part but with God's grace and support, I finally have it! Now, I am done with all my requirements and will just wait for any updates from my employer! ^.^ It really is true that I am thankful for it is Friday already and I am done with all of the things I need to do and have! 

Fit and Healthy!! (High Five!)

Have an awesome weekend everyone!! Be ever strong and keep the faith!

Something Really Good.

First and foremost, I must say that this recipe is a keeper.
Second. I am thankful to Mochachocolata-Rita for sharing her mom in law's recipe.
Third. This is definitely very easy to make and is very flavorful!! ^.^
Fourth. Let's just cut the chase and get on with the photos and recipe! ^.^

Recipe from Mochachocolata-Rita
- Pork meat *You can replace the pork with chicken, or tofu puffs as vegetarian option
- a handful of Chinese fermented black beans, rinsed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- a dash of oil
- 2 tsp corn starch
- a dash of light soy sauce
- chopped fresh chillies and spring onion

from: Instagram (@sydneylyntan)

Procedure:
Throw everything into a plate. Mix well. Add in chopped chillies. Steam for 15 minutes. Top with spring onions then serve with plenty of plain rice!!! :)

sorry for blurred photo (definitely not my best shot)

The taste of this dish is way way better than my picture! I promise! Try it! ^.^ Its a mix of spicy, savory, sweet over steaming hot bowl of rice.

Few more days before weekend!

11 of 12

Whenever there is a goal set forth to us, we always want to do our best and give our all just to make it happen. Though my first statement may be a bit too deep, I made have set a goal for myself to finish 12 books this year and so far I have finished reading 11. I have 1 more to go and I am a bit excited. Maybe. Just maybe, I can make it 13 or 14 books for this year! ^.^

Wish me luck guys!! And have you watched The Newsroom from HBO? You should. It's quite nice. Great actually. ^.^

mooncake

Sorry for one word titles and wordless posts.. Life is still good to me and I just can't find anything very much inspiring to post about so far but worry not because I will do my best to write more this month. In short, I will do my best to make my life more fruitful compared to the past 4 months! ^.^

For a quick update, I finally got my driver's license and am really happy about that! I am also considering to accept a job which will around Makati. I am still thinking about it but more or less, I will be accepting it and will be starting by next month (more vacation or resting period for me, not that I really want or need it).

Going back to the title... The Chinese and Korean (I think) people around the world just celebrated the Lunar Festival yesterday and my favorite thing about this celebration is the mooncake I can eat. I just love mooncake so much even though I can be quite picky on which ones I really want to have. On top of that list is Hong Kong's mooncakes. Especially Maxims! And so here is a picture of the mooncake I really love :)

via instagram... 

Let us all beat monday blues and look forward to a great week ahead!

sunset.

Global warming aside, I believe God never fails to amaze me with such great sunsets and creations! 

Praise Him! :)

Wishing everyone a great week ahead!!

i miss travelling

I miss Asia... (even though I'm in it)

Macau..

The Senado Square...

The Venetian Hotel - Macau

TAIWAN!!! I miss this place badly.. T.T

Hong Kong... ShaTin, TST, Victoria's Peak, etc..

Someday, I will go to Singapore and around Asia again. :))

Easy Peasy Salad :)

Simply toss some greens and tomatoes together and put some fried chicken bits on top. In my case, I used McDonalds' fried chicken and some lettuce greens. Finally I used this recipe for my home made dressing and it was really good. ^.^

The Bucket List

Since I have a lot of things I want to do and wish to have, or places I want to go to and food I would love to have a taste of, I have decided to create a bucket list which would someday remind me of the things i can do and can have in the future. At some point, this serves as my motivation to do good and save money..

As much as possible I would like to make this as short as possible... ^.^

1. When I have all the time I want, I will defnitely watch the ever famous series, Friends, from season 1 to 10. And also, One Tree Hill... ^.^

2. I would love to have a kitchen-aid mixer. (The heavy duty one)

3. Definetely an oven.. medium to a large..

4. Study abroad under a scholarship..

5. Save up enough money to travel frquently...

6. many more that I just can't get my mind into... but there is definitely more..

Hopefully, I can accomplish all of this someday... ^.^

TGIF and have great long weekend everyone..

No Bake Peach Cheesecake

On a lonely hot Tuesday afternoon, my high school friends and I decided to have a sudden unplanned small get together. We made a no bake cheesecake because baking any other cake would ask for more energy than what we had that time and since it was a sudden thing, we just stuck with something that won't use the oven. ^.^

And since there were no mangoes on our nearby supermarket and we couldn't find any blueberry or strawberry toppings in can, we stuck with canned peaches in syrups instead.

To make the rose-like, simply slice the peaches into thinner peaces that will make it look like a Big letter "C" and just work your way around the cake outside-in, layering it side by side. (Did I made sense??) 

And here is the recipe! :)

Peach Cheesecake (No Bake)

For the crust:

1 cup graham crackers

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup butter (melted)

1 tsp lemon rind

1 tbsp sugar

For the filling:

225 g cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin dissolved in 1/3 cup water or milk

1 pack (250mL) all purpose cream (chilled)

Topping: choice of blueberry, strawberry, or in our case, PEACHES! :)

Procedure:

To make crust, mix graham crumbs with cinnamon, sugar, butter, and lemon rind. Press on a 9" springform pan. Chill. For the filling, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and well blended. Meanwhile, dissolve gelatin in water or milk over low heat. Add to cream cheese, continue beating until well blended. In a separate bowl, whip cream until stiff and fold into cream cheese mixture. Pour mixture onto crumb-lined pan. Chill. Top with the topping of your choice when cheescake is firm.

Voila! No Bake Peach Cheescake! Enjoy!

Here Comes The Sun

I have been trying to remember where I have heard this song. It keeps on playing in my head and I just want to share it with all of you since Mr.Sun is definitely out and shining over Metro Manila. :) 

This is the nostalgic parent trap version and..

this is the original Beatles version! ^.^

Oh! And it's already Friday so Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend. According to PAGASA, the weather will be improving over the weekend but may still bring some rainshower. So be safe and take care everyone! 

Stay Strong Philippines!

Look who's starting to show up??

Mr. Sunshine!!!

and Ms. Clear Blue Skies!! ^.^

Stay strong and keep the faith! ^.^

A letter..

Here is something a friend of mine, who lost his dad recently, shared that I also want to share to everyone..

...My Child,

When I get old,
I hope you understand and have patience with me.

In case I break a plate,
or spill soup on the table because I am losing my eyesight,
I hope you don't yell at me.
Older people are sensitive.
Always having self-pity when you yell.

When my hearing gets worse and I can't hear what you are saying,
I hope you don't call me, "Deaf!"
Please repeat what you say
Or write it down

I am sorry, my child.
... I am getting older

When my knees get weaker,
I hope you have the patience to help me get up.
Like how I used to help you when you were little,
learning how to walk.

Please bear with me
When I keep repeating myself like a broken record,
I hope you just keep listening to me
Please don't make fun of me,
or
get sick of listening to me

Do you remember when you were little and you wanted a Balloon?
You repeated yourself over and over until you got what you wanted

...Please also pardon my smell.
I smell like an old person
Please don't force me to shower.
My body is weak.
Old people gets sick easily when they are cold.
I hope I don't gross you out.

Do you remember when you were little?
I used to chase you around because you didn't want to shower.

I hope you can be patient with me
When I am always cranky
It's all part of getting old.
You'll understand when you're older

And if you have spare time,
I hope we can talk
Even for a few minutes
I am always by myself all the time.
And have no one to talk to
I know you are busy with work.
Even if you are not interested in my stories,
please have time for me.

Do you remember when you were little?
I used to listen to your stories about your teddy bear.

When the time comes
and I get ill and bedridden,
I hope you have the patience to take care of me.

I'M SORRY
If I accidentally wet the bed or make a mess.
I hope you have the patience to take care of me during the last few moments of my life
I am not going to last much longer, anyway.

When the time of my death comes,
I hope you hold my hand
and give me the strength to face death.

And don't worry...
When I finally meet our creator..
I will whisper in his ear
to BLESS you
Because you loved your Mom and Dad.
Thank you so much for your care.
We love you.

With much love,
- Mom and Dad-

source: http://forangelsonly.blogspot.com/2011/03/letter-from-mom-and-dad.html

I hope that with this short letter, we are reminded of the sacrifices our parents had to go through for us.

Happy Monday everyone!!

Something Sweet..

Some random creations while going through my life and thinking of the future.

Boil Coconut Milk or cream and add sugar while stirring constantly. Add cooked tapioca and turn off heat.

Let cool then chill.. Top with your favorite fruit like, banana, mango, papaya, or even kiwi!

Let's enjoy our weekend, okay?! ^.^

Baking Class @ Heny Sison

A few weeks ago, my friend and I decided that we wanted to learn more about baking and how it is to make good cakes and we came upon Heny Sison's website. After browsing through their available lifestyle courses, we chose to attend the class of Chef Juan Carlo Estagle which was all about small cakes for restaurateurs and caterers. :) 

At first we thought that it was a workshop where we can actually make and bake cakes but we were mistaken which led us to think twice on whether or not we wanted to go on with this class or not. In the end though, my friend and I pushed through and went to attend the said class! ^.^

To get to their place just simply follow this map (from their website) or like us, ride the LRT 2 and hop off the Gilmore Station and ride a taxi to their place which is quite near and should only cost you around Php55. 

"A" marks the spot! 

Heny Sison's is such a great place and their kitchens are like love at first sight. I immediately fell in love with the show kitchen they have on the second storey which is also the kitchen where our class was held! ^.^

Lo and Behold - - - The Kitchen!

For the whole 4 hours Chef Juan Carlo was able to demonstrate to us on how to make 7 cakes with ease. And here now are the 7 cakes we've learned to make that day.

Rum Raisin Cake

Triple Chocolate Cake

Chocolate and Cream Cake

Strawberries and Cream Cake

Mangoes and Cream Cake

Gateau La Pinay Cake *an original recipe by Chef Juan Carlo Estagle*

Yellow Cake Chocolate and Buttercream Cake

The Class and Graduation Pic in one! ^.^

I simply can't wait to have my own oven or try it with my friend Angellyn and the rest of the gang haha ^.^


To know more about Heny Sison Culinary School's lifestyle courses for the month of July and August, click this. They are also offering professional culinary and baking courses! ^.^

Heny Sison Culinary School
33 Bonnie Serrano Avenue Cor. Sunrise Drive, Crame, Quezon City
726.5316 / 413.2428
info@henysison.com
http://www.henysison.com

Why I love 7-11

I love 7-11 stores abroad because I can accumulate stickers and get great prizes!! ^.^ It is so addicting that I try to finish one album every chance I get!! ^.^

There's that hint of surprise in every box

You'll just never know what you'll get!!

Then you get the one thing you really liked!!! ^.^

and it kicks the ball too!!

For every HKD20 you get one sticker 2 for HKD30 and so on and so forth.. In the end, you need to have 20 stickers in total to get this item for free!! :)

7-11 outlets in HK and Taiwan are love!! :)