Parenting 101

I am not a mother. I am not even claiming that I will be a good one if I will be blessed with a child. But there are just some instances in life which will make you realize that some women or men, for that matter, are not really ready to become parents. And even if they accidentally become one, they do not even try to learn how to be good parents.

I had interacted with a lot of parents in my life. Every family has a different kind of approach to parenting. Some parents try to be as strict as possible with their children, some are too lax. Others think of it as a way to test out their theories on raising children and train their children at a young age to become somebody or behave in a certain way. Some are Spartan in nature. Others have the well-rounded family, the perfect family you read about. There are also some, who are a disaster waiting to happen and you wonder why it didn't strike yet, the way they were going.

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Earlier today, I was at the mall when a commotion perked the interest of me and my friends. A child, about six or seven or younger, was screaming at the top of her lungs. Tears streaming down her face as she cries that her mother is missing. Two high-schoolers were trying to calm her down to no avail while the security guard radios the paging system of the mall that a child is found and is currently at the custody information desk of the mall.

We went near the scene because we noticed that the high-schoolers trying to calm the child are students of ours. Good thing we did, because the lady at the information desk was not even trying to help them. She was just looking in. One of my companions pointed out that it is her responsibility to calm the child because she is an employee at the mall. When she touched the kid, the kid bolted out and I had to grab her and hold her down at the same time trying to calm her and reassure her that her mother is coming. She was fighting for all her worth trying to run away, anyway. But at least, she was not screaming anymore.

The moment the mother arrived, she spanked the kid and told her that she was stupid because she lost sight of her mother. She then dragged the kid away, without even acknowledging or thanking the people who found her child.


What really raised my hackles was that first, it was a child. At that age, a child is curious. So the tendency is that you will look from left to right, up and down, if there are interesting things in your environment. So she was scolded for being curious.

Second, if you are in a big place or a crowded place, you always hold the child's (friend's) hand so you will not get separated. Clearly, the mother does not know this because when she led the child away, she just told her to follow.

Third, I know the feeling of getting lost in a very big and crowded place at a young age. An unfamiliar one at that. To say that it scared the bejesus out of me is an understatement. But my mother has told me what to do in case the situation arises, not that she expected me to get lost but precaution is always good. The kid obviously was not oriented on this matter, because that scream was clearly for hopelessness.

Fourth, when a child is scared, you should calm her down. Never berate a child in public. The fear, shame, and humiliation it causes marks a kid forever.

I was so pissed, not because she forgot to thank anybody but because she scolded the kid in a crowd and blamed the kid for everything.

What the? Is the child a rational being who can think for herself? Was she raised to become independent? Is she of legal age, responsible for her actions?

The answer is clearly NO. If you bring a child to a trip, you are responsible for her. You should tell her what to do in certain situations. If you do not brief the child and bring her on a trip, then tie her down or rope her to you so you won't have to hold her hand. If you want independent kids, then train them how to act in public. Agree on meeting places, or agree on things the kid can do while on a trip with you.

Clearly, the mother was not aware of these methods or she was just not motherly in nature. Or she might also be panicking that she lost her child and so it was a defense mechanism that led to forgetfulness and attack on the emotional and mental state of the child.

Whatever the case was, the kid was found and reunited with her mother. She was certainly happy to be found. I hope the mother apologized to the kid or at least train her children what not to do in unfamiliar places, like not getting lost.

Just want to rant for a change.



Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D

Farewell Chester

Chester Bennington died on Thursday. I did not know about it until Friday when a colleague mentioned that Chester died when we were making small talk about various artists in and out of the country. It was so out-of-the-blue that I had to blink back tears hard to prevent myself from crying. (I even texted a friend and fellow fan if the news was true.) Calmly asking what's the cause of death and knowing that he took his own life did not really deter me from mourning the death of one of the power duo that made me realize screaming is not really that bad in music.

I am writing this article as a tribute to one of those artists that made my college days bearable. This is a collection of music forced on me by roommates who loved to listen to Linkin Park when we are on the verge of exams and studying with music blaring at 3 in the morning makes sense.

If the prospect of failing major subjects like Math, Physics, and various Computer Science does not force you to depression, LP music will surely do that but then you can just scream, right?

So here are some of the songs in the playlist of our study days with Linkin Park.

It was mostly songs from their Hybrid Theory, Meteora, A Thousand Suns, and Minutes to Midnight albums. So that gives away our age.

1. Numb
   
2. Breaking the Habit
   
3. Easier to Run
   
4. Leave Out All the Rest
   
5. Bleed it Out
   
6. No More Sorrow
   
7. Iridescent
   
8. Blackout
   
9. Waiting for the End
   
10. By Myself
    
11. One Step Closer
    
12. In the End

Linkin Park music, especially some of the lyrics are as sad as sad can be. It gives away the feelings of the artist when they write the song, and when they perform, they always lose themselves in it.

The eyes may be the window to the soul, but this band have songs that mirror their life situations, and ours for that matter.

We can lose ourselves in their music and scream out loud our feelings with no one to bother us because its a song after all.

So thank you for writing songs that we can relate to. I know you fight so hard to overcome your personal problems but in the end, being by yourself did not really helped matters.

Goodbye and Thank You, Chester.

Depression took him away from us. Let us be happy that he was able to hold out as long as he can. His childhood was not a happy one. He had experiences that would drove any one mad. His means of escape was drugs and alcohol abuse and later on, his music.

The music was no longer enough for him to hold on because in a way it also reminds him of the tragedies that have befallen his career and personal life.

At least he belongs somewhere now:

NOTE: All videos and links in this article belong to Linkin Park.
https://www.youtube.com/user/linkinparktv
https://linkinpark.com/



Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D just because!

Recipe: How To Eat Avocado

It has been a long time since I posted anything and so to break the non-activity I am writing on something I do best: EATING!!!

Yesterday, a fruit cart passed by the house. I bought some avocado for 40 pesos per kilo so that's 1 large and 1 medium-sized avocado.

This is how you eat avocado in the Philippines!

Avocado Dessert

Ingredients:

• avocado
• sugar
• milk
• crushed ice

Preparation:

1. Cut open the avocado fruit, please be careful since the hard seed is found inside the soft flesh of the fruit.
2. Scrape the fruit from the peeling into a bowl.
3. Add 1 tbsp of sugar and mix well.
4. Add condensed milk or 4 tbsps of powdered milk. Mix thoroughly.
5. Add crushed ice or chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

And that's that...

Enjoy your creamy dessert, perfect for hot days and even cold days.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

I post an article once a week... :D just because!

Movie Review: Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets Society is a movie that followed 7 boys and the teacher who made a difference in their lives.

credits to Rotten Tomatoes

Robin Williams starred as Mr. John Keating, the new English teacher who believes that his students must understand poetry from their own point of view and not because the books tell them that this piece is interpreted like this.

We also have Charlie Dalton who is too rich to care. Stephen Meeks and Gerrard Pitts who in their own way rebelling by creating a radio which is a banned experimentation. Richard Cameron who takes everything seriously. Knox Overstreet who in every sense of the way, fought the courage to go out with a girl engaged to someone else. Todd Anderson who is overshadowed by his more popular and more brilliant older brother. Neil Perry who dreams to become a theater actor but is prohibited by his father who wants to make him a doctor.

The rest of the classes in Welton's School for Boys are rigid academics which emphasizes the Four Pillars of education: Tradition, Honour, Discipline and Excellence.

The famous line from this movie: Carpe diem, Seize the day boys. Make your lives extraordinary was uttered by Keating on his very first lesson. After that, he practiced unconventional ways to teach poetry so that his students will get into the emotion and live the poem not just read it.

These 7 boys were so intrigued by him they look him up in the old alumni photos. Out of all the descriptions, they were curious about the Dead Poets Society and asked him about it. Upon learning what it was, they decided to recreate it. Breaking a lot of school rules in the process.

But everything wasn't made for perfection. So even though, the boys find their courage and pursue what they always wanted to do. It did not make the school happy nor their parents.

In the end, even though Neil got the part he always wanted and practiced for it. His father did not approve. It didn't matter that he got straight A's in all his subjects and could really perform well. His father wanted a doctor, not an actor. Neil felt suffocated and committed suicide.

The blame was placed on Mr. Keating and all 5 boys were forced to sign the petition to remove him from office. Charlie refused and was expelled.

When Mr. Keating said goodbye, half of his class said goodbye by calling him their captain.


Watching this movie made me miss Robin Williams. It was really one of those moments where you can really say that he was a very sad man. His eyes were in sorrow all throughout this movie. Even in the frames where he is laughing, they never really reach the eyes. It must be because he knows that the admin disapproves of his methods and that he is just waiting to be sacked. Or it is because we know that he is suffering from depression and making others laugh is his outlet for it.

Being able to think for ones' self is a great treasure, so please become a person who knows what you want to be and slowly aim for that goal of yours so that one day you can look back to life with no regrets.



Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

I post an article every two days... :D just because!

Movie Review: To Sir, With Love

To Sir, With Love is a movie as old as my mother and I did not really expect to like it. But there I was laughing as each prank is played and the odd dialogue and behavior accompanied it on-screen.

credits to Wikipedia

The story is all about an engineer named Mark Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) who was seeking employment in London's engineering firm. To make ends met, he started a job as a teacher in East London. He was warned that his students are good kids with problems. It turned out to be more than that as his tactics are met with resistance after resistance, not counting all those pranks played on him.

When he lost his temper, he decided that the academic approach would not really cut it, so he decided to use the adult approach where he showed the class how to be responsible adults and become useful members of the society.

It actually worked for him, and he had reformed students to show for it. Even had one student hanging on to every word and falling in love with him which he of course dutifully ignored.

At the end of the movie, he was accepted as an engineer but was swayed to stay as teaching staff because his students liked him too much and acknowledge that if not for him, they would all end up in juvie.


The drama was minimal. It was quite entertaining.

The songs in this movie were all beautiful renditions from Lulu, which also played as a student in this movie.

The school staff were either people who have gone cynic, still hopeful, given up or just there for the paycheck.

The principal is a hopeful individual who wishes for the best of his students.

The community is actually quite helpful, like they do not let the teachers fall in line in supermarkets because they know that the break time is short, or they show support when Mr. Mark started going to the museums to educate his kids.

The students were kids with an attitude, and are rejects of other schools. They do not expect to be anyone greater because they would more or less work in blue-collar jobs positions or in the red-light district anyway.

But one man who has also in his past went through the horrors these kids are going through tried to make a difference. He showed that he cared and that he feels responsible for the future that his students will have. And that made all the difference in the world.


Every action we make affects other people, so we must mindful of what we say and do because we can never really know if what we did just make or break someone.


Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article every two days... :D just because!

Recipe: Chili Bomb

We had loads of chili pepper that needs to be disposed of. Feeding them to the chicken is a waste, so we decided to make some Chili Bombs, the kind sold in the streets with a bit of cheese.

Ingredients:

• Chili Pepper
• Lumpia Wrapper
• Cheese, cut into rectangular shapes
• Oil

Preparation:

1. Remove the seeds from the Chili Pepper.
2. Place the cheese inside the pepper.
3. Wrap it in lumpia wrapper and seal.
4. Heat oil in a pan, and fry the lumpia wrapper with chili pepper and cheese.
5. Once it turned golden, remove the bomb and drain all excess oil.

Enjoy eating, you can dip them in sinamak (vinegar stored with spicy condiments) for a chilier experience.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article every two days... :D just because!

Recipe: Meat Balls

Since eating is and has always been a hobby, cooking follows right after. Not that we became gourmet chefs because of it, but we try.

So today's recipe is Meat Balls, easy to prepare and consume.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg of ground meat
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp of flour
• 1 medium-sized onion, minced
• salt and ground pepper
• oil

Preparation:

1. Put the ground meat in a bowl, add the egg and flour and mix well.
2. Add the onion, some ground pepper and salt for taste. Mix well.
3. Take 1 tbsp of the mixture and form them into balls.
4. Place the formed balls on a plate covered with a bit of flour so it would not stick.
5. Heat oil in a pot or a deep pan, at least an inch of it to cover the meatballs thoroughly.
6. Fry the balls in the pan until it turns golden brown and floats to the surface.

Enjoy eating!!

Tastes great with mayo and ketchup dip.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

I post an article every two days... :D just because!

Restaurant Review: KSpice

I am not really into Korean Food or anything too spicy for my taste. But we found ourselves having dinner with friends in a quaint little resto just outside MegaWorld called KSpice. They have a wide variety of food on the menu but our friends ordered the 350 pesos Eat-All-You-Can set where meat and condiments are all unlimited, you just ask the waitresses.

The restaurant is located at Taft North, Manduarriao, Iloilo. Just a few feet away from the newly-opened Jollibee Fast Food. It is quite a small place but at least it has its own parking area, so customers won't be parking on the side of the road. It is easy enough to find, though not really noticeable when you are riding public vehicles going at top speed. You will have to walk or take a taxi, or you can ride the jeep whose route is to and from Mandurriao.

The place is clean and has table settings for different group types. Table for twos, fours, eights were arranged around the room. If there are more of you, I guess you can request for additional tables and chairs. Each table setting has a table with a single burner grill which is used by the customers to cook their own meat. The grill is also replaced from time to time depending on the amount of grease it has. Ours were replaced thrice.

The food consisted of 4 types of meat, Spicy Pork, Pork, Chicken, Kimchi Bacon. Then for the unlimited condiments, sotanghon, kimchi, and rice. Can't really remember everything since I don't eat them. The meal set is also accompanied with a glass of iced tea and unlimited rice or chinese cabbage leaf/wrap.

It was a nice dining experience. you have the illusion of cooking for yourself though its only grilling really. Still, the meat was delicious and I don't mind eating Kimchi Bacon and Spicy Pork though at a minimal amount and at a very fast rate of chewing.

I am not really the best person to recommend a Korean dining since I do not float this boat. But if you want a different Korean experience, visit KSpice and judge for yourself.


Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article every two days... :D just because!

Recipe: Breaded Shrimp

Happy Labor Day everybody.

I have been spending the past few days being lazy, hence the No posts state.

Anyway, since today is a Holiday and if you can get lucky you can find some BIG Shrimps from the market and try this recipe out: Breaded Shrimp with Cheesenax.

Ingredients:

• Shrimp / Prawn
• Vinegar (2 tbsp)
• Breadcrumbs
• Flour (4 tbsps)
• Egg
• Water
• Oil
• Cheese
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

• Shrimp

1. Add 2 cups of water in a pot, add the vinegar then the shrimp.
2. Stir the shrimp constantly, and wait for some of them to float or get cooked.
3. Once some shrimps float, remove from fire and drain.
4. Place the shrimp in a bowl and pour cold water over it.
5. Peel the scales off the shrimp and set aside.

• Breading

1. Place 4 tbsps of flour in a bowl, add egg and water to create a mixture. Divide mixture into two. Add the first one with a bit of salt and pepper. Leave the second as is.
2. Place some breadcrumbs (5 tbsps) in a plate, continuously adding breadcrumbs until all the shrimps are cooked.

• Deep Fry the Shrimp

1. Heat oil in a deep pan. Make sure that amount of oil can cover the shrimp.
2. Dip the shrimp in the mixture with salt and pepper. 
3. Roll in breadcrumbs.
4. Dip in the 2nd mixture.
5. Then roll again in breadcrumbs.
6. Place the shrimp in the heated oil and wait for it to float.
7. Remove from pan and drain excess oil.

Since we had some mixture and breadcrumbs left, we mixed this together.

Then we cut some cheese (cheese stick cut), roll them in the mixture and deep fried this as well.

• Dip

1. Add some mayonnaise in a small bowl and add some ketchup.
2. Mix them well.

Hope you enjoyed making and eating this as much as we did.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article every two days... :D just because!

Tour Siquijor

On our first day on the island of Siquijor, we were scheduled to have an island tour. It has 6 municipalities and we visited 5 of them. A multi-cab was hired to accommodate 7 adults, 3 teenagers, and 2 kids. Our friend's uncle also followed in a motorbike.

Coco Grove

Waking up early in the morning, our very first stop is Coco Grove Beach Resort, just for a walk on the beach. We can see the marine sanctuary in the distance but did not visit it. We just sat on the beach and watch clear waters and play with the kids in the fine white sand comparable to the ones in Bora.

Sanctuary

Breakfast at our friends' house followed and packing while we wait for the cab to come.

Balete Tree

Following the Siquijor Circumferential Road, our first stop at Lazi is the Century Old Balete Tree. It is found located at the side of the road, so very easy to get to. They have a small bazaar that sells pasalubong in form of shirts, key chains, food, dream catchers and a lot more. Love potions and herbal oils are also sold here. But the attraction of the place is the sprawling Balete Tree at the side. The locals added a Fish Spa at its roots which you can use for a 10-peso fee. So you can sit at the edge of the mini-pool, gaze at the tree while your feet are cleaned off the fishes. They also have a mini-zoo of sorts. It has different kinds of animals, like the big black Boa who is curled asleep, cackling crows and native chickens, monkeys, hamsters, guinea pigs, turkeys and a pair of dogs, They also have a cage with bats and chickens, a commensalism set-up.

Fish Spa at the Balete

Our next stop is the Lazi Church, also known as San Isidro Labrador Parish. We were in despair because it is a very beautiful church and it's falling apart. The floors were creaky and some actually move when you step on them. The paint is peeling, and the air actually smells of neglect. As a National Cultural Treasure, it is not being properly taken care of.

Lazi Church

Next on the list is the Cambugahay Falls, it has 3 falls located at the bottom of a 100+ step stairs, feels that way somehow. It does not have an entrance fee, but you need to pay a parking fee depending on the vehicle you brought, So it ranges from 10-50 pesos.We went down and saw a lot of people jumping from the top of the falls to clear blue-green water below. They also provide a jump swing, where you can swing nd jump for an unlimited number of times for 20 pesos, I overheard the man said it since we did not try that one.

The 8 feet pool

The very first fall open to the public is wide and the pool below it is also big with a depth of 8 feet. The jump is short, 5 feet or so of falling. The 2nd falls does not have a large pool, so people just take a dip in it. The 3rd falls has a depth of 15 feet and a jumping point of 10 feet above the water. I actually took a deep breath before jumping on this one, but the feeling is exhilarating so I did it 3 times then did a dive on the last one, but not at the 10ft mark, but on the platform constructed 5ft above the water, which is nearer.

The 15 feet pool with platform

We then proceed to Salagdoong Beach at Maria, Siquijor for Lunch and some Cliff Jumping. The entrance fee to the beach resort is 35 pesos, all amenities included. We ate lunch first then took a dip the sea. The sand near the edge is gravelly though, but there is an area a few feet away from the beach where the sand is fine and the water deep. A nice place to lay down in the water and bask in the sun.

The beach and the cliff in the distance

After this, we decided to take a plunge from the Cliff which is the main attraction of this resort. So they have 2 jumping points, one at 5 meters above water level and the other one 10 meters above the water level. The water depth is at 15 meters on a high tide and they do not allow jumps on a low tide.
I really needed to talk myself into jumping because vertigo hits every time I wander near the edge of the diving board. I finally jumped after taking forever and it was actually a freeing experience. The hubby even jeered because he managed to jump from the 10m cliff and he does not know how to swim. He asked a friend to check if the coast is clear then did a running jump. Next time maybe if I have the guts.

view from the top of the Cliff

Going home now, we stopped at Lilibeth's Pan Bisaya located at Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor, which was featured in a lot of travel & tour shows in the Philippines and bought some of their specialty bread stuffed with bukayo, or coconut. They are actually baking in a dome-shaped oven that is actually homemade and not bought on appliance centers.

Lilibeth's Pan Bisaya Oven

We also stopped by at the Talingting Boulevard, but it was a hot afternoon so we did not really stay, but I bet the sunset view from there would be awesome.

Talingting Boulevard

Then at Larena, we stopped for snacks at the Triad Coffee Shop. It was a dome-shaped building overlooking Siquijor. You can see the white beach at the distance, the depth of the water defined by its changing colors from blue-green to deep blue and the skies are clear as well. You can see Bohol, Cebu, Dumaguete even the fumes above Mount Kanlaon. The air is fresh and you can just let the wind blow your worries away.

Panoramic View of the Triad

Back at San Juan, we stopped by a place they called mini-Boracay, it's actually a beach with coconut trees at the side. The white sand stretches all the way from the palm trees to the beach. A lot of foreigners were sunbathing and walking in it. They said that it is where tourists flocks when the sun sets for the view.

Panoramic View of mini Boracay

Our last stop is Capilay Spring Park, it is a public pool located the Poblacion of San Juan. So residents won't have an excuse of not having water in the house for bathing because a public pool is open and free for all at their disposal.Though they charge environmental fees for tourists. The pool is flowing spring water and is at 6 feet, so pretty deep. It is fresh and cold, a very nice way to rinse oneself from the sea water clinging to ones' hair. The park also had a cafe and benches for picnics. Really idyllic place amidst the bustle of the municipality's capital.A very nice way to end the tour as well.

Capilay Spring Park

After this, it's home sweet home for rinse and rest.

So that's 5 out of 6, Mount Bandilaan is located in Siquijor, that should have been 6th. But anyway, I bought pasalubong there..
So 6 out of 6, though not a very thorough one :D


Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article every two days... :D just because!

Lakbay 2017: Siquijor

For the Holy Week (Lent Season), the hubby and I were invited to stay over at a friends house.

We obliged and were off the grid for a few days because Siquijor is an island province where the internet signal and cellphone signal are ghosting, meaning it comes and goes. It is also rumored as the witches lair and the voodoo capital of the country, so yeah, a pretty neat place to be when people are celebrating the death and resurrection of Christ.

But I am getting ahead of myself, first, let's talk about how to get there. You have two options. First and the most usual is riding a ferry from Dumaguete, Tagbiliran, and Iligan. The nearest and has a daily schedule is, of course, Dumaguete and they have 4 different ferries, GL Shipping Lines, Montenegro, Aleson, and OceanJet. Here's a link to schedules from the internet. The fare ranges from 100 to 300 and the travel time to 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours or more. The 2nd and less popular option is to charter a small plane or helicopter and be flown over. Its' expensive too.

For us, since we are living in Iloilo, we have 2 options as well. Flying to Dumaguete or do a road trip. We took the 2nd option since doing it by plane is expensive and we were with friends.

So a ferry from Iloilo to Bacolod early in the morning (first trip), that will cost you from 250-400 pesos depending on the ferry taken and the accommodation. That took an hour or so. Breakfast at the pier to ready ourselves for the 6-hour trip. :D

We left Bacolod at 9 AM and arrived in Dumaguete at 3 PM with the bus traveling south. Do not ask me about the travel because I was asleep for most of it and is only awake for a few intervals watching the countryside roll by for awhile. Stretches of sugarcane and banana plantations that marks Negros then moved on to sea seen from a distance when we finally entered Dumaguete then the sea when we arrived at the pier for ferries to Siquijor.

Bought some tickets for a 3:50 PM trip that costs 170 pesos then proceeded to a popular cafe called Food Net for snack/lunch.

Finally, at 5:30 PM, we arrived at Siquijor and hired a tricycle to the municipality of San Juan where our friend lives. Hiring the tricycle costs 250 pesos but they also offer an island tour for 1000 pesos which will show you around the place. For us, our friends planned everything, so what we just need to do is wake up early and be prepared to be shown around. The main mode of transportation in Siquijor is the tricyle though there are motorbikes for rent and multicabs that take passenger but usually for hire or for long-distance trips like from Siquijor to Lazi.

St. Frandis de Assissi Church near Siquijor Pier

So the 1st day was spent on touring the island, I will post another article for this to highlight the many places we visited.

The 2nd day Holy Friday, we were supposed to trek to Mount Bandilaan but there was a bomb threat, so we ended up taking a dip near Coco Grove Resort at noon as our friends' family tradition and then attending mass at the San Juan Church and joining the procession.

We also visited the local shell museum Marelle's Underwater World Museum where they feature all species of sea creatures found in Siquijor and other places in the country. Crabs, urchins, shells (lots and lots of these), starfishes, and literature or backgrounds on sharks and the shells. It also has a souvenir shop where you can buy shirts, lamps, bracelets, earrings and other home decorations made entirely from shells and other local materials.

The 3rd day, Black Saturday, we spent the morning at the seashore. It was low tide and our friend's father gathered some sea urchins straight from the sea for our breakfast at the beach.There were 3 different kinds of urchins and I ended up eating one of each just to see the different in taste. the urchins tasted like crab meat to me, texture included and one urchin (inset) tasted best. Totally recommend eating it with steaming rice.

In the afternoon, we went to the municipality of Siquijor to inquire on trips and buy pasalubong. We ate snacks at M's Place where the siopao is sold for 16 pesos and the halo-halo served in a very tall glass. It tasted great too. Then next door, I forgot the name of the place for shirts and other pasalubong. And oh, they sell love potions too :D

Then Sunday, early in the morning, we left Siquijor at 5:30 AM for the trip back to Iloilo.

It was a very relaxing vacation and we promised to come back for our friend's wedding. Hopefully, it will come soon. :D



Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article every two days... :D just because!

Recipe: Burger Steak in Mushroom Gravy Sauce

It's another cook night and we decided to make our favorite Burgers but this time with gravy. Basically, Burger Steak.

Burger Steak in Mushroom Gravy Sauce

Here's how it's done!


Ingredients:

• Ground Beef, 1/2 kilo
• Salt & Ground Pepper to taste
• Oil
• Mushroom whole or sliced
• Gravy Mix
• Onion
• Garlic, 2 cloves

Gravy, Garlic, Onion, Mushroom

Preparation:

Burger Patty:

1. Mix 1/2 kilo of ground beef, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of ground pepper in a bowl.
2. Form them into burger patties depending on the size you want, you can make at least 5.
3. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan over medium heat. 
4. Once it's hot enough, fry the patty for at most 10 minutes on each side or until cooked enough for you. Remove excess water from the pan to avoid patty deformation. 
5. We also tried grilling some patties and grilling the fried patties.
6. Set aside once all the patties are cooked.

Mushroom Gravy Sauce:

1. Chop garlic, onion, and mushrooms. Set aside.
2. Dissolve McCormick Mushroom Gravy Mix in a cup of hot water until mixture is smooth with no particles anywhere.
3. Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan over medium heat.
4. Sautee garlic, onion, and mushroom until onions are translucent.
5. Add 1/4 tsp of ground pepper and stir.
6. Add the gravy mixture and wait until it's bubbling.
7. Pour the mushroom gravy sauce over the patties.

There you have it folks, Burger Steak in Mushroom Gravy Sauce.

Happy eating, the grilled fried patties tasted best for me. 

How about yours?

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

I post an article every two days... :D just because!

Antique: Seen On Malalison

Leaving the mountains behind, we now make our way to the next stop of our journey, the beautiful Culasi. The hour-long trip ended on the wharf where we will be riding a pump boat to bring us to the island of Malalison. Before heading out to sea, we ate lunch in Jing’s eatery (special mention coz name sake), had our water gallon refilled and bought a 3kg fish for only 250 pesos.

Malalison from the wharf

The trip to the island was brief, 15-20 minutes. There is an island visitors’ registration area where you will also pay 10pesos for environmental fee.
The house we rented for 3000pesos is quite big, it has 2 bedrooms good for at least 4 persons each, 2 bathrooms, a living room with tv and a kitchen complete with cooking utensils. There is also a pump behind the house for bathing. No running water here, and also no electricity during daytime. Electricity is only switched on during the night and only from 6pm-10pm. The house, though, has a solar panel installed.

Sand Bar

Instead of hiring someone to cook food for us, we decided to go cowboy and do the cooking ourselves. Good thing, some of our male companions knows the hows on the kitchen, so we are spared from having distasteful meals.  While some of us went about with cooking pancit, sugba (grilled) pork& fish, sabaw (sinigang isda); others went to explore the sand bar in the rain. They came back at around 3pm to eat. Swimming does make one hungry.

Swim, Drown & Snorkel

Finished with dinners preparations, all of us also went to the beach to go swimming, semi-snorkeling and picture-taking while watching the sun set. The sand bar separates 2 areas of swimming: on the left is a rather rocky beach with corals littering the area which is safe for swimming and on the right is the ideal place to swim with its sandy beach and deep waters and danger of sea urchins. One cannot really have it all. We swam in both areas of course, with a little care.

Rainbow Sunset

After all the pictures were taken, we went back to the house to clean up and eat our dinner, watch the pictures we took during this trip, played some cards and slept when the lights went out. Early the next day, we cook adobo while waiting for our tour guide for the mountain trek to arrive. And since its dark when we started cooking preparations, we had the chance to use solar-powered bulbs in the kitchen 

The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings

When the guide arrive at about 7AM, we started the climb. It started with stairs to the mountains, then a winding road that leads to the beach. We also passed by the school, the school is on the mountains and the children has to climb to get to it every single day. Exercise done right, in my opinion.

Pitcher Plant

Malalison Island has 3 high points when you look at it from the sea. The target of the climb is the 2nd high point. The trek brought us to the 1st point – Nablag Islet, it’s a low tide and the mountain is connected to the island via a stretch of sand. Along the way, pitcher plants dotted the side of the mountains. This side of the island is a coral beach, and we had fun picking out beautiful corals but the guide says that it is not allowed to bring any away. 

Nablag Islet

Hole in the Wall

Then we proceed to go the cave, it’s a slide down the mountain with only pine trees to save you. The pine trees planted is a project of DENR(Department of Environmental and Natural Resources) to bring trees on this, otherwise, grassy mountains. The cave is not really the cave that we are expecting, it is only a hole in the rock that can accommodate 20persons at once and the entrance is also the exit. Sort of a disappointment but we are only halfway and already thirsty. We stop for drinks and food, then proceeded to climb again.
 

The climb is steep and there is an area where one mistake can bring your death as the mountain has a cliff that directly falls to the sea. And you are not even sure how high it is. But we did reach the summit after a lot of rests, and the view is beautiful. Just leaves you wondering how it must look from the highest point, but the trek there is not for beginners as the tour guide insists. Then, we begin the trek back to the house for brunch and to prepare for departure as well.

The Advance Party

We paid the tour guide 500pesos. After eating and cleaning up, we decided to leave all leftover food to the caretaker and all our surplus food supply as well.

At around 12NN, we left the house behind. Rode the pump boat to tour around the island (during high tide only), was brought back to the wharf, and paid the pump boat 150pesos for the transportation to and from the island and the tour.

Then we waited for our van, and we are on our way to Iloilo city. We stopped by San Joaquin to buy bandi and arrived in Molo Plaza at around 4PM.

Tan not so visible but it was a great adventure and a cheap one too. Each person only paid 1,850 pesos for the 3day-2night trip.

Hooray for a Great Escapade!

Shout out to the owners of the pix: @goldpiz @elzniv @mikejohnsabido

Next week will be my Palawan adventures. Look out for it. 

Related article!

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

Antique: Dip Now in Tibiao

Leaving Molo Plaza at 5AM in the morning on a rented van, we pick a few friends along the way until the van is filled to its capacity of 15. Along for the ride are my officemates, friends and the bf. We are bound south to visit the beautiful neighboring province of Antique. Our first stop will be in Tibiao and the next is Culasi. The van is rented to us for 8k (8 thousand pesos) for this 3day-2night escapade.

We arrived in San Jose, Antique at about 9AM, making good time, withdraw some money in case we need to buy something unplanned on this trip. San Jose will be the last stand of civilization where access to ATMs and malls is still available. After this, it will be more of the provincial way of life.

Welcome to Tibiao!

An hour or so, we arrived in Tibiao, already at awe with the beautiful stretch of sand and sea that we glimpse through the van’s window. We stopped at the marquee heralding our entrance to Tibiao, got down from the van and have our picture taken as any tourist may have done. Our itinerary is quite lax since we did not get ourselves a tour as we have friends who hails from Antique and the places to visit are places she have been to before, therefore connections. For ready-made tours, a friend owns a katahum.com and he offers different tours for different places in Antique. But if you want to do it for less, you can always DIY.

Before proceeding to Kayak Inn, we also stopped at the tinda (market) of Tibiao to buy food supplies. No restos on the mountains, but the caretaker’s wife offers cooking services for a fee of 250pesos/meal. Quite reasonable for 15 of us. We bought 15 kilos of rice, pork, chicken, veggies, seasonings, ice for the cooler where we will be storing our food, and other things one might need for cooking.

Exploring if safe for swimming

Kayak Inn is located on the mountains, the van really has to climb a little bit as we wind our way into it. The driver really needs to be cautious, aside from the steepness the road is also under repair. At the entrance to the barangay where the mountain resort is situated, we were hold up a bit because the back hoe needs to be moved out of the way first so that the van can pass.

Glenn d monkey and Tanya d pig

We paid 50 pesos as environmental fee upon entrance. The dual zipline is also situated at the entrance. It costs 300pesos for each person. As we were hungry, we did not linger there. At around 12NN, we finally arrived at the Kayak Inn where we will be spending the night. We discussed what meals to be cooked for lunch, deliver it to the capable hands of the caretakers and relaxed.
 

While waiting for lunch, or afternoon mess; some of us relaxed in the shade, went exploring on the river and the hanging bridge, and befriended the animals as there are pigs, dogs, a monkey around the premises. Around 2PM, we lunched on fried chicken and pork with monggo and kalabasa for ‘sabaw’.

Malakagat Hanging Bridge

We would have loved to go kayaking or banana boating on the river, but since it’s the summer the water is quite low and its really not fun rowing in that. But there are places that are deep enough, so some frolicked and swam in the river.

swimmin coz no boatin and kayakin

After that, we reserved ourselves for a Kawa Bath which the place is sought after for. They have kawa that can hold 4 persons at once, there slightly smaller ones that can hold 2 and the slightly bigger than the one used for cooking that can only accommodate 1. While waiting as the Kawa is being prepared, some played basketball and some just sat talking while enjoying the mountain breeze. Quite a breath of fresh air after living in the city so long.

Kawa in flames for good boiling (sauna)

The Kawa Bath is for 250pesos and you can dip yourself in it until the water turns cool or until you feel that you are slightly cooked :D. Kidding aside, the advised max time is 30minutes until you are boiling and the vegetables are ready to be added.

At around 7PM, we have dinner on grilled pork and the leftover monggo from lunch. After this, we prepared for bed. There is electricity in the place but there are no entertainment sets. So, we make do cards and talking and gadgets while waiting our turn to use the bath.

We have an early night as well, for we planned on a trek to the falls before we leave in the morning.

Before the sun has risen, I was awake and about as one of our companions is taking photography lessons and she plans to have a picture of the sunrise. Woke everybody up as well at 530AM so that we can leave by 6AM for the falls.

A dip in cool 1st falls

Bugtong Bato Falls is located an hour away from the inn on foot and into the mountains. You cannot go there without a guide, so you need to hire 1 for 5persons at least. We hired 2 from the barrio and the caretakers’ daughter came with us. The trail is quite easy to follow, on the way to the falls. The 1st one has a place to swim in and also a spring where you can get drinking water. The 2nd one also has a place to swim but water is not so deep and you need to climb the stairs to get there. The 3rd one is amazing. It’s a 12ft basin below the falls with a wide area to splash into. The water is cool as well, and if only we are not going somewhere else, I could stay there all day to dip myself in that inviting freshness. You have to rappel your way into it or go via the stairs which is steeper than rock climbing.

Rock climbin to swim!

Sadly, good things must come to an end for a greater good. So we climb back down to bring ourselves back to the inn. We paid 300 for the barrio guides and some tip. Then we prepared to leave for Culasi. Our overnight stay is 250pesos each but the bed smells and feels nice so that makes up for it. The food was great to.

The 3rd falls is approved!

SHOUT OUT to the OWNERS of the PIX… Thanks to @goldpiz @mikejohnsabido @elzniv

 
Don’t forget to check back the next day for our adventures in Culasi.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!