Unhappy

What’s more painful than
Hearing piercing words from
The one you love that
He’s no longer happy?

Trying to be strong
I comforted him and
Asked for a reason but
He said it’s still unknown.

What’s more weakening than
Seeing your loved one cry
With his face on my palm
And we were eye-to-eye.

He said he still loves me
And I still do too
But he’s no longer happy
So what should we do?

Is it because of the distance?
Is it because of your work?
Do you need some time?
Do you need some space?

We parted with smiles
But I was teary-eyed
I am not sure what’s next
I’ll just let you decide the rest.


Living the next days unsure
I was so down and cold
You love me but you’re not happy anymore
Maybe you’re not happy because you love me no more.

Chicken Miyeokguk

Rainy season is here and the air is cool. Storms visit us more often, and Baguio is a bit specially different. The weather is so bipolar in the sense that, the sun shines so brightly in the morning  then rains in the afternoon. It’s actually quite a  struggle to decide what to wear. It’s like having 2 seasons in a day. Going out for lunch, we sweat like it’s summer and going home at 5:30 PM our shoes and feet are soaked.

Because of this, getting sick is now mainstream. Unfortunately, I was one of those who suffered from flu, but luckily, it didn’t last long.

Prevention is better than cure, but when you think you did your best doing what’s necessary to avoid getting sick but still you got sick, then it’s time to move forward to the curing part. Take your medicine on time, eat nutritious food, drink plenty of water, and rest.

Having nutritious meals is crucial for your fast recovery. As your body is fighting off bacteria or viruses, you should help reinforce your defense system by providing the necessary nutrients. One of the best foods to take when you have cold, cough, or flu is chicken soup. But I found out one that is even better.

The chicken miyeok guk (miyeok = seaweed/sea mustard; guk = soup)  is a chicken version of the Korean beef miyeok guk. Because the miyeok is loaded with vitamins and minerals, this will surely help you combat flu.

Here’s the list of ingredients you’ll need:

1. 25g dried miyeok
2. 4 tablespoons minced ginger
3. 2 tablespoons minced garlic
4. 1 big yellow onion, sliced
5. 500g chicken (small cuts/ground)
6. Canola oil

 

Procedure

1.  the dried seaweed from the plastic and soak in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
   
   

   
   
   You’ll see the miyeok transform into long, smooth, green seaweeds. You’ll also notice the smell. It’s quite strong but not bad. (I actually liked the smell.) Use scissors to cut the seaweeds into small pieces that will be easy to bite and chew. After 30 minutes or so, transfer the miyeok in a bowl.
   

   

   While waiting, you can prepare the rest of the ingredients. Make sure that your chicken is fresh and clean. I bought ground chicken but you can also use small-cut flesh.

2. In a pan, put the ground chicken and add water enough to submerge the meat. Turn on the stove in medium flame.

   When the meat’s color changes into white, stir it cook the other side. Stir until all meat are white.
   As the water becomes lesser, adjust the stove to a low fire. Add 1 teaspoon of canola oil into the chicken and fry. This is quite tiresome as you need to stir every now and then to make sure that the meat isn’t burnt and are equally cooked.

3. When the meat is light brown, add the ginger and garlic, the saute. (You can smell the aroma. It’s soooo goood!)

   When the chicken becomes more brown, add the onions and saute. Keep stirring, as you don’t want to ruin the soup with bitter taste of burnt onions afterwards.
   

4. Add the seaweed and sauté with the chicken for 5 minutes.
   
5. Add 4 cups of water, then cover the lid. Check from time to time to see if the water is nearing to boil. When you notice some foam or small bubbles starting to form, add fish sauce. Start by pouring 5 tablespoons then adjust proportion for your desired taste.
6. Bring to boil for 5 more minutes then serve while hot.

Let your loved one feel your love and care by preparing this hearty soup dish. Whether you are under the weather or you just want to have something to slurp, you can spare some of your time to try this simple but guaranteed tasty and healthy recipe!

My First Kimbap: Trial and Success!

As I grew older, I became more interested with Japanase/Korean dishes. And one of the Jap/Kor foods that caught my attention is the kimbap (gimbap), a.k.a. sushi rolls.

It’s not hard to find kimbap nowadays in Baguio since Japanese/Korean restaurants are almost everywhere and SM Baguio Supermarket also sells their very own kimbap and maki (with raw fish) in affordable prices. Kimbap are also offered in all Japanese/Korean reastaurants but they are more pricey.

Whenever I eat kimbap, I always wondered how they were made. I always look at the center and try to distinguish the ingredients inside. It’s so fascinating how such combination tasted so great in just a single bite.

Since I’m always craving for kimbap, I planned on trying to make my own. I thought that it’s going be a nice experience and it would also cost me less. So I researched and finally decided to buy the materials and ingredients when I was sure that I memorized the procedure.

I am no chef but I have been succesful and confident with my cooking skills, so let me share with you how I achieved such delectable kimbap on my first try.

Don’t Panic, It’s Organic

Choosing a lipstick is one of the many challenges women face. For women who have pale and dry lips like me, wearing a lipstick is a must or else, we would look like we lost half of our blood or that we’re sick. It’s actually not good to hear your friends or colleagues asking “Are you sick?” or saying “You seem sick”, “You’re so pale”. So for me, wearing a lipstick is part of my everyday life…except when I just stay at home and snuggle in bed all day.

 

FACTORS TO CONSIDER

There are a number of factors to consider when getting a lipstick, such as, but not limited to your complexion, lip texture, and the climate of the place where you live in. These factors will determine the type of lipstick you should get.

Getting Inked for the First-Time

Tattooing has long been a part of human life across cultures and time. Tattoos are a component of various traditions that signify something important. For some, getting a tattoo marks or represents a/an (big) event in their lives. Some get a tattoo to express themselves, their likes, their hobbies. And some get inked to have a “memorial” of their loved ones. And of course, others want to get one because of fashion or just because they want to. And nothing is wrong with that. Whatever people’s reasons are, what’s important is they are happy.

Getting a tattoo is not something that one decides overnight. There are a number of factors to consider when getting one and time is an essential element at play, because time can change anything. Your idea, your mood, your taste change over time and so, it is crucial that you plan months (others take years) before. And make sure that you already have a firm decision before getting one.

In my case, it took me more than 3 years before I got mine. It wasn’t a matter of deciding on the design that kept me this long, though it was a factor, but  it was the actually culture.

Confidently Beautiful With My New Hairstyle

It’s March again. It’s the transition month from brrr-ing to whew-ing. Summer is approaching despite the fact that climate change is evidently in effect as well, giving us more rains that it should be. Nevertheless, the thought that the cold months are over  means not only a transition in temperature but in fashion as well.

During the last week of February, I had this recurring thought of getting a haircut. I’ve been known for my long locks ever since and I suddenly felt the need to change my looks by cutting my hair.
Don’t get me wrong. I really love my hair. It’s thick and soft though there are breakage and split-ends, but it’s not that bad. They are nice to touch…and smell. 🙂

Jpeg

Jpeg

Onion Rings: Journey to Perfection

I am a person who is very fond of cooking. And of course, food. Recently, I have developed a taste for onion rings. Upon tracking my foodie adventures, this may just be an aftermath of eating food with onion rings as side dish. Yes, side dish. What do you expect? It’s quite rare for restaurants here in the Philippines to offer onion rings as a main dish. There are some but mostly, you’ll find these rings only as add-ons or as garnish to the main dish.

Onion rings are so underrated!

The Raisin-Studded Bread of Baguio Country Club

It was October 18, 2014, a Saturday when I first tasted BCC’s famous raisin bread. It was my friends’ birthday party in one of the cottages and aside from the meat and pasta on the table, they also served breads and cakes. Looking at the raisin bread on the platter, at first it was just ordinary but the amount of raisins visible is quite overwhelming.

I am not very fond of breads and pastries and maybe that’s why I wasn’t appealed to the raisin bread. When we began to eat I filled my plate with pene pasta, pancit canton, and shanghai rolls. After I finished all of them, i looked at the table and saw the raisin bread and told my self to get one and try.

The Story Of the Exoctic Mouth-Watering Ronoron

Have you ever eaten something that looks disgusting but tastes super yummy?

Maybe bugs or insects? Animal innards? Fungi? Weeds? Or other strange looking foods?

I have my own experience of eating an unusual but really delicious food – a Sea Barnacle, known in our hometown as ronoron. At first it looks just like a rough rock covered in little seaweeds, but as you look closer, you will see that it contains holes that are filled with “organisms” which move – just a little movement, enough to make you realize that whatever’s inside that rock is alive. Sometimes you can see tiny bubbles coming out of those holes, which are actually the air expelled by such organisms inside. So this rock is actually a shell, a casing, a house, a habitat of a living creature.

The 5S Culture of No Excuses

I am writing my first blog about 5S, well, because we just had the World Wide 5S Audit just last week at the office.

First of all, I work in a company that embraces the culture of 5S in all of its aspects (Manufacturing&Admin areas).

So what is this 5S I am talking about? 

5S literally means five S letters that stand for different concepts and/or meanings- 1S=sort; 2S=set; 3S=shine; 4S=standardize; 5S=sustain. They are derived from the Japanese terms seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke.